
Glass "&L 1JA 

Book J 5 

Gopyiight N° 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



UNIVERSE 

AS WE SEE IT 

OR 

TRYING TO SEE GOD IN NATURE 

BY 
H. J. K. THOMAS, M. D. 

" The Cause of Nature, is the Art of God " 



Behold some lesson to His praise in everything 




BOSTON 

THE ROXBURGH PUBLISHING CO., (INC.) 

1913 



v >* 5 



Copyright 1 91 3 
By H. J. K. Thomas, M. D. 



©CI.A354282 
Ho / 



Dedicated 
To the memory of my reverenced Father, C. J. 
Kirnen! — All my dear loved ones and to the 
good of every reader. May we all know God 
and enjoy His Beautiful Universe. 



INTRODUCTION. 

Dear reader, we thank you to read our little 
book, hoping it may suggest that you may 
better see this beautiful Universe, so that each 
day of your life may grow brighter and 
happier. 

"As we see it," is only the best we could do. 
You may see it much better than we have done. 
You may better know the dear All- Father than 
we are able to do. I hope you may! And, 
too, that you may wield a happy influence that 
will aid all you know to search, to know God, 
and to delight in serving Him. 

"Universe as We see it," is the mite of active 
prayer that my soul is trying to offer, that 
God's Kingdom may come on Earth. 

Please forgive the shortcomings of this, my 
little book. 

The Author. 



CHAPTER I. 

f 

MAY NOT MAN KNOW ALL UNIVERSE? 

Too vast the scene for mortal eye ! 
Yet some sweet rays each soul takes in. 

Man desires to know ! Man would know all 
Universe! Man would know the author of 
Universe ! 

Universe — Grand Universe! — Work of 
Almighty hands! And may the mortal man 
aspire so high? May man know all of Uni- 
verse ? As we see it, the Universe invites man 
to its study, though its immensity and grandeur 
exceed man's power to fully comprehend or 
cope with its magnificence, yet what he can 
take in affords him a delight of the highest 
order. What nobler theme can engage his 
thoughts? What more can the craving soul of 
man ask for, than to study and learn the All 
of Universe? 

How beautiful, how sublime — how vast is 
Universe! What does Universe include? 
What is there that is not included in Universe ? 
The All — Omnipotence, Power, Wisdom and 
Love — so beautifully portrayed throughout all 
nature! Everywhere, everything we see tells 
us of these beautiful Divine attributes! The 



2 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

sublimest thought the human mind can have is 
the study of Omnipotent Power and Love, as 
shown throughout Universe. 

Universe, the reflection tif its Mighty 
author! And through the study of Universe 
may not man gain some just conception of 
God — this, the soul's intensest craving! To 
know God! Exaltation of privilege to even 
know somewhat of God! To, through the 
beautiful veil of universe, catch some glimpses 
of God, — beautiful,, entrancing thought ! 

Glorious Universe ! Ever whispering to the 
yearning, listening human soul of a lovable 
Being! A Being the soul feels the need of! 
Feels somehow a kingshipness to this spirit 
Being. All Father to all created beinghood. A 
Spirit-father seems an ever-pressing need of 
the creature, man. 

Glorious Universe, thy marbled gilded steps 
leading up to God, on which mortal may climb 
to reach his spiritual needs. Oh, this beautiful, 
grand universe How man longs to see and 
know all that the mortal can know of it, — -its 
enormity is stupendousness. Its variety end- 
less. Its beauty soul-entrancing. Its grand 
mysteries fascinating beyond the human mind, 
to reach such heights and depths! How 
baffled is man in his weakness to cope with 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 3 

such greatness as he finds before him in the 
study of this vast universe ! 

To seek, to learn, to know the all, 

The mortal soul doth ever crave — 

Nor all is known — till author Great be found ! 

Oh, for some power the whole to know, 

Oh, for a soul that song to sing 

— The whole of Universe! 

Oh, mortal man take yon angel wing- — 

Oh, seek some power from the Divine, 

Oh, soul climb up to heavenly spheres 

And learn the All of Universe ! 

Oh, gracious God, inspire man's mind 
Oh, teach us Parent — Divine — Supreme ! 
Oh, draw us close ! — Thee, would we know ! 

All knowledge is sweet to the soul of man, 
But knowledge of God makes man divine ! — 
This is that bliss for which man sighs — 
That ever hungering soul of man ! 

The Desire to Know. Man desires to 
know. Man wants to see and know every- 
thing. Nothing must escape him — man just 
must know. He is built that way — he wants 
to see and know the all that is around him; 



4 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

and he wants to know the what is what of all 
he sees. He questions, "What is it? Where 
did it come from ? Who made it ? What is it 
good for ? Can I get any good from it ?" etc. 
Man is the creature that must see and know, 
for man is a seeing and knowing animal. 
Desire is ever driving him; of all within his 
reach he will grasp as best he can. Especially 
does he love to see. Sometimes man's mere 
idle curiosity is no small surprise ; seeing how 
much trouble he will put himself to satisfy it. 
Most animals have some curiosity, but some 
men have an insatiable curiosity. Yes, curi- 
osity is a pleasurable emotion, not only is good 
pastime, but, too, is the shortest cut to find out 
things, and man, by all means, has just got to 
know. Yes, just for the pleasure there is in 
knowing, for 'tis sweet to know facts. 

Then, in some cases, to know is very neces- 
sity, as often 'tis a means of self-preservation; 
to be "forewarned is to be forearmed." 

To know, aids man in his aims and desires. 
For "knowledge is power." Man ever wants 
power — force. Man's very self-love makes 
him crave power. Man must know all he can 
in order to cope with the exigencies of life. 'Tis 
right to see, to learn, to seek to know. Then 
all universe seems inviting man to see, to 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT t> 

study, to know. All universe is teeming with 
wonders ; such as arouse the very soul of man 
to study its grand, beautiful mysteries. Some 
just a little veiled and some so deeply hidden 
that the mortal feels pained to think 'tis knowl- 
edge too wonderful for him to grasp after. 

Still man ever desires to know. Man seems 
self -driven to seek, to know of the what is 
around, above and beyond him. Reason de- 
mands of man to know ; for man feels he has 
an interested right to study and know all truth. 
All that lies in mystery he wishes to unveil to 
full light. Naturally man studies the great, the 
small. He reasons reflectively. He scans all 
with an earnest scrutiny. Notes law every- 
where prevailing. Sees a mystic force in back 
of all law, which points him to a first Great 
Cause. Sees all nature around him in its seem- 
ingly self-poised stateliness and beauty of 
beinghood, all-knowing how to fulfill its needs 
— seemingly has some contract to fulfill with 
some higher beinghood. 

Man feels mystified at what his reason can- 
not explain ; he longs and is still ever craving 
to know all ! 'Tis easy for us to excuse man's 
craving to know, and 'tis only a little that the 
human mind can master at a time. 'Tis step 
by step only that we reach our way when 



6 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

reason laboringly investigates, weighs and 
measures all by reason's standards. Man's 
soul self-hood joins in with reason, will reach 
knowledge at last. Innately man's nature seeks 
for the highest, the best he can attain. He is 
ever longing for good. Man's soul desires are 
to reach after higher states. Man wants per- 
fection, not satisfied to fall short of his con- 
ception of what good is; ever is craving the 
upwardness ; climbs after his ideals of perfec- 
tion. Something seems ever beckoning him 
onward and upward. Man longs for higher 
life; feels that his destiny must reach up into 
eternity, for all this earth-life of man seems 
pregnant with the issues of eternity. 

All nature teaches man this aspiration. With 
nature's text books before him, man reads up- 
wards to Divinity ; finds the author of nature ; 
Divinity of love everywhere photographed on 
every page and leaf of nature. The humble 
student of nature finds he is ever advancing up 
the hills; catches higher, and still higher 
glimpses of above and beyond the mountains of 
time. He is ever climbing, the summits he must 
reach the all at last. His eye getting more and 
more used to the ever brightening light as he 
approaches the source of all light, till by-and- 
by man's eyes will rest beyond the fields of 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT / 

nature — and oh, behold, 'tis nature's God up 
there! Thitherward, man is ever climbing! 
Ever seeking upwardness, man will at last 
reach up ! Up, up, man, up ! For God is 
there ! 

Force, Cause Expressed. In his earnest 
studies of universe, man sees everywhere some 
wonderous force. Some mighty power sus- 
taining the grand machinery of universe, — 
CAUSE. Law is seen in charge. Great- 
ness hidden in mystery ! For see, LAW looks 
back to the FORCE that is hidden behind it. 
Force, mind-force seen in action everywhere. 
Such mighty force ! This mystic force so all- 
inspiring; ever attracting man's wonder and 
love. Man admiringly craves FORCE! All 
along the way man sees infinite force working 
everywhere throughout nature. What is that 
grand thing y Force? In all that is done, force 
seems back of it. Desire may wish a thing 
done, but Force! has to do it. In every form of 
activity there is the actor, Force. Ordinarily, 
we think of force as a mere manifestation of 
some law of nature ; perhaps it is not occurring 
to us that every organism, every activity of 
mind, soul or body is an expression of Force ; 
every activity has force at the back of it. 

Is Force Causation ? Cause Expressed. 



8 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Force and Law. Is Force Law? As we see it, 
law is a standardized method by which force 
works to effect special ends. Law truly is a 
something grand, but Law is not the matter- 
cause. Law is the rule of action, or the agent 
in the action. Law is the restricted modus 
operandi of force in activity. Law is not the 
primal power! In the many rounds of the 
dance curtains may conceal the prompter, yet 
see, the merry dance goes on; the figures of 
each round following the music with its in- 
structions when, where, and how to move in 
right time. Force, the soul of universe, is 
ever lining out hymns of joy to the world ! 

Throughout all Universe, Force Apparently 
the Cause. {See the display of Force in 
Nature.) We note some of the grandest, 
stiblimest displays of mystic force in some of 
the majestic phenomena of nature. Trans- 
cendingly grand is the lightning flash; the 
noblest trees are ripped to splinters ; while we 
hear the solemn peal of the thunder; and oh, 
the terrors of the cyclone! See the dread 
devastation along its track as it sweeps over 
the land in its wrathful energy of Force; 
scattering all before it that would obstruct its 
pathway. Whence comes this Force? What 
is it? Do we see that force? We see the 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 9 

wreckage left along the road; we see what 
masterly strength was hidden in that fierce 
thunderbolt that has left the grand old lofty- 
headed pine scattered, now, where? That 
flash of lightning we saw, but the force back 
of it, what sublime force is this? Terrific, yet 
beautiful ! 

Oh, force, thou majestic, unseen power, 
how we dread Thee, yet adore ! A something 
far beyond our mortal ken! What is the 
mystic thing ? Oh, tell us, what is force ? We 
see its grand displays ; how mystic to our won- 
dering eyes ! The volcano, the earthquake, are 
not these Forces, boldly expressed? What is 
the matter with old mother earth that she gets 
so perturbed ? Has she some morbidity within 
her great interior-self and is seeking to give 
impressive expression that may be righted? 
Where can be the origin of such dread activities 
of Force, and why, bringing as it does such 
consternation, dread, suffering, death upon the 
creatures covering the surface of the earth? 
How can force so seemingly heartless be? Oft, 
in his great terror, when the calamitous effects 
of force are pressed upon him, man cries out in 
his helplessness, "My God, have mercy upon 
us!" Naturally man would escape such de- 
structive forces; innately he calls to a saving 
force ! 



10 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

More Pleasing Forces of Nature, Less ter- 
rific, yet no less sublime, beautiful and grand, 
are the powerful forces of nature as exhibited 
by the laws of attraction, for see what won- 
derful force holds the heavenly bodies up in 
helpless space ! Omnipotence of force is here ! 
Stupendous power! How can mortal mind 
comprehend a witchery so sublime? 

See our sun, held up in space ; its ponderous 
weight, to which is added the also ponderous 
weights of all its solar system family of bulky 
globes, tied to the sun by magic fingers. All 
are held aloft, and journeying through the 
voids of space; sustained up there without 
falter or weariness. Whence the unseen proofs 
of Forcd that holds them there? While each 
and all, faithful to its specialty of ceaseless 
duty ; each separately, and all unitedly keeping 
exact time in the rate of travel, moving in 
circles, nor ever one mite straying from the 
regulations hung over them. What sublimity 
of mystic Force is here ! And this, our own, 
own solar system but one of the hosts of solar 
systems that fill the realms of vast universe! 
How lost is mortal mind in its eager longing 
to comprehend this omnipotence of Force! 

See Also Chemical Manifestations of Force. 
What magic seems to be hidden away in the 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 11 

chemical affinities ? The chemical actions and 
reactions, wonderful with what mathematical 
precision of exactness do atoms each fill its 
own place in chemical formations; seems as if 
Divine wisdom were buried in each atom. How 
supremely exact, and beautifully delicate is 
Force in its activities here. 

See also the Wonderous Exhibitions of Elec- 
tric Activities in manifestations of Force. Its 
manifold antics are a constant new surprise to 
us. Noting its effects produced on other atoms 
of matter, what mystery of Force is this ? All 
feel the magic force of electric touch. 

In watching the plant, see again the sweet 
force as the humble flower turns its face 
toward the sun; beautiful, soulful, mystic 
Force! Too, see the delicate tints of color 
which the soul fulness of each flower taketh 
unto itself; and more wonderful still, whence 
comes its fragrance? Partaking freely of this 
good, it yieldeth back of the same in the grati- 
tude of its soul. See, too, on each petal it may 
blend so cutely all the varied colors, as if some 
passing butterfly had kissed those varied colors 
there ! 

Say you, a flower has no need of Force? 
Oh, force is as tenderly delicate as it is also 
supremely strong! What is Force, beautiful 



12 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

force ? For see its finer exhibitions as well as 
its magnitude! 

The forces of nature, some so beautiful and 
enjoyable, some so terrific and awe-inspiring; 
yet seem inviting us to closer study of them. 
All seem to spell out to us, "The Hand that 
made us is Divine." 

See every endless 1 " and varied activity of 
force in every department of nature, both or- 
ganized and unorganized matter, — so called or 
not — but matter still, of whatever grade it 
be, 'tis traveling, ever traveling, with its full- 
ness of force. Force, the palpitating heart of 
all universe. Force, a mystic thing, yet so 
sublime and Divine! Whence is Force? 

Oh, reason is ever asking what is force? 
Who made it ? Whence came it ? May I avail 
myself of it? How can I reach it? 

Pray tell us what is Force ! Is force God's 
impersonal involuntary Selfhood? Manifest- 
ing and acting through the laws of nature ; ever 
obeying fiats that proceed from the Divine- 
mind during the early days of Creation? Pray 
tell us what is force? Did we hear answer: 
Force is the wakefulness of all nature? Force 
is the acting agency by which the cause of 
nature comes more visibly in touch with the 
created. So beautifully told in the soul-lit 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 13 

language of the poetic philosopher in the 
words: "The cause of nature is the Art of 
God." 

Man's Soul Ever Pleading, Longing, Trust- 
ing. Would that it could arise and climb 
nearer unto the Source of all good ! Earnestly 
does man desire to learn of the Source of this 
grand Force! Man does the best he can to 
see, to learn, to know; yes, man would know 
all ; no part of universe but what man would 
explore. Man would know the Author of uni- 
verse. 

Is man self-limited? May man self-limit 
himself? Does the law of environment limit 
man? "So foolish was I and so ignorant, I 
was a beast before thee." Is it not man's duty 
to study up as far as his mind and soul are able 
to attain unto ? All universe is spread out be- 
fore him. Truly, an inviting field of study! 
Will man be like dumb driven cattle ? — "Verily, 
man that understandeth not is like the beasts 
that perish I" 

God Himself is manifested in His manifold 
creations. The attributes of God are every- 
where shown. Infinite Mind ! Wisdom, love, 
power, all attracts man's study. Man feels 
that in some way he must be related to the 
cause of all he sees; feels that he has a right 



14 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

to learn and know, because he feels an urgent 
need of this Great force; needs the Love of 
this Great Author of Force! Man innately 
reverences Divinity! 

Man May Know God. May he ? The 
highest of all knowledge is to know there is a 
God. Infinite Creator God ! Divinity ! Jehovah ! 
The I Am! 

The most assuring of all knowledge is to 
know God is Love! Love, Wisdom, Will 
Power ! Attributes of Personality, Divinity of 
Personality. 

The sweetest of all knowledge is to know 
God our Father! Mortal man has a Spirit- 
father. Man is not the child of chance; 
God is the infinite Being, a Father to man ! Oh, 
precious knowledge! The knowledge man 
most needs. The what man's soul is ever 
craving. Exaltation of privilege is this; to 
know there is Infinite Power, that that Power 
is wisdom, is love, is in touch with the crea- 
ture, man! Man, not left to mere earth des- 
tiny, but privileged to a higher beyond than 
this animal earth-life. Man spiritually en- 
dowed. God gives of Spirit-life as well as 
earth-life. God, the Spirit- father, that gives to 
mortal man of Himself! Gives man soul to 
link him more nearly to Himself ! Then may 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 15 

not man study to know his Spirit- father? 
Surely man will learn of "his Father who art 
in Heaven" as fast as he can. Spirit infant 
will grow and learn of its Spirit-parent. 

Is God Willing for Man to Know Him? 
"Thou, Solomon, my son, know thou God." — 
"And ye shall seek me and find me when ye 
shall search with all your heart." — "Your 
heart shall live, that seek God." 

Please go search that old Jewish Bible, both 
old and new, each of us for ourselves. In it, 
see if He is willing for man to know Him. 
While mortal frailties may blur the picture of 
God, still, even as Moses saw God, 'twill be a 
good start-off lesson, and as we go onward in 
this study each of us can get more light. Soul- 
light awaits the opening of the soul-windows. 
And who but will search his own innateness of 
being-hood to see why it is he so craves — 
something beyond his fleshly-self. "My Soul 
thirsteth for Thee!" — "Let us walk in the 
Light!" 

"Child of a King, prepare to know the 
lovely grace of thy Father." See, the Loving 
Father God, the King Infinite, stoops to lowly 
earth and bids his child know Him ! 
' Earth child, know thy Father who art in 
Heaven ! Seek with all thy powers of soul to 



16 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

know Him. Since finiteness can only compre- 
hend Infiniteness as finiteness compares with 
Infiniteness, how little, then, can the finite 
know of the Infinite ? Yet so dependent is the 
finite upon the Infinite that he must know that 
little. 

As the new-born babe of earth learns little 
by little 'ere yet it can its parents know, still 
that parent's presence is very dear to it, very 
essential to its very being ; and 'ere yet its eyes 
can see the light it knoweth its parent. 

As the finite attains spiritual development, 
he may have hope to know his Infinite Spir- 
itual-father. Man, earth environed, can scarce 
attain beyond infancy's spirit-beinghood. Can't 
get far beyond kindergarten grade of lessons 
in spirit education and development. Yet 
God's earth-child feeling innately, knowing 
that he has a Divine Spirit-father, seeks to 
know that parent. Baby-like, snugs up to Him 
for soul- warmth and love and for all itself 
cannot do or obtain without parental aid. 

Man's great need of God seems the most 
potent reason that urges him to study of God. 
Man, the creature of a more exalted nature of 
beinghood than all else of earth creatures, of 
necessity realizes his Father wants his 
thoughts to go beyond the bounds of earth ! 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 17 

Earth-child, see Father God! The spirit- 
selfness within you bids you see with spiritual 
eyes. See the Great I Am! Self-existent 
Being, — Desire, a Divine soul element. 

God desires — God exists — God the Great 
self-existing Beinghood — Auto-beinghood, 
found only in God ! Perfection of beinghood 
found only in God. Spiritual, manhood, body- 
hood, supreme exaltation of perfection in per- 
sonality ! Man, made in the image of God, has 
only such conceptions of God as the man-eyes 
are able to obtain through his earth-man-eye- 
hood. When, after man grows up to his 
highest earth conception of what God is, then 
he is ascending the ladder of a higher life, 
which is leading him up to where his eyes 
can better bear the Spiritual light of God. Not 
until man reaches the full heights shall he 
"know even as he is known." 

Man is made in the image of God ; man, an 
earth-child-of-God destined to heavenly states. 
"In my Father's house there are many man- 
sions." Has not man special reasons for feel- 
ing some heritage in the mansions beyond this 
earth ? 

Earth is God's footstool ; God's throne is in 
the heaven of heavens. He, God, the "I Am." 
Who inhabits eternity ! 



18 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

See Universe, Magnificent Universe. Mag- 
nificent, boundless Universe — Space Infinite — 
Measureless — Eternity of roominess! Divin- 
ity's sublimity of Infinititude ! Only the Great, 
Almighty God could need such amplitude in 
which to breathe the Eternal air of boundless 
space! He, only God! His Magnificence of 
beinghood ! He, only He, could have need of 
such boundless roominess — the whole Magnifi- 
cent Universe! He, Jehova! God, our 
Father ! 

He, the soul and center is! Spacious uni- 
verse ! His glory o'erspreads it all ; all space, 
all universe, is but His Gracious Atmosphere ! 

God's throne the center is ; yet uplifted high 
— e'en high above our universe. High in 
transplendent Glory reigns our Almighty God ! 
Being sublime, "whom we call God, and know 
no more," yet do our souls teach us that to His 
great love we owe all; that He, our Spirit- 
Father, is from whence all good comes. To 
Him our souls aspire. At His great throne of 
love there is the mercy-seat! Where in faith 
our souls must call; God in regal state, in 
Highest personality, sits on His throne Su- 
premely King of all universe ! 

We, too, realize all Father in His love, as 
extending His impersonal involuntary, Self- 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 19 

hood expressed in His great mind-force of 
thought extended over all universe, recog- 
nizable to many as expressed in law, — Law of 
nature, so called. 

The sublime greatness of God's personality ; 
of God's supreme allness of beinghood is too 
extended for us to know in our earthly en- 
vironments. Each mortal in his own innate 
knowingness of spirithood, may to his own 
self-comprehension conceive somewhat of God, 
catching such glimpses of the supremely 
exalted Statehood of God as he is capable of 
obtaining, yet all mortals have not equal soul- 
force. 

Not gold, diamonds, and all other precious 
stones lighted up by a million suns can out- 
shine God's great glory in His throne on High. 
Nor can reason, nor time, nor any other earthly 
sense tell us the All of what God in His whole 
self-hood is. Yet reason is but too glad to tell 
all it can. While the spirit-soul joins in 
with reason in aspiring to reach up toward the 
Divinity parent, does learn and know some- 
what of God. And then mortal man loves to 
learn and know, the more he does attain unto 
this happy knowledge the more he be- 
comes able to learn. The upwardness and de- 
sire to study of God as best man may, leads to 



20 51 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

a higher, happier state of mind, gives mortal 
that peace "that passeth all understanding." 

We can but think it is an aid to the Spirit- 
soul-mind of man to specially study the rising 
and the setting sun ; only when sun is veiled in 
horizon's misty atmosphere can the common, 
human eye look at the sun to realize its identi- 
hood ; its height we realize at all hours of sun- 
light ; but sun's selfhood, at rising and setting, 
we may look upon without pain to the eye. 
Only thus veiled to us can we see sun ; to study 
it is soul-inspiring. In the flesh, too, man must 
see God veiled, but as we know the noonday 
sun is there, so we know God is somewhere; 
though we see Him not. 

Only thd Fool Says There Is No God. 
Gazing at yon morning star, the harbinger of 
day, we ask : "What made that star ?" for evi- 
dently it is not self-made, nor has it self-inde- 
pendence, but is mysteriously interwoven with 
other similar revolving orbs. It seems at- 
tracted by magnetism, together with a family 
of planets, all of whom seem firmly bound to a 
central star ; the parent and leader sun who, as 
captain of a band, seems leading them all 
through their respective orbits, and at the same 
time all moving along through space on some 
more extended route. 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 21 

Thus reflecting on the motions of these stars, 
and gazing still in the Eastern skies, we pon- 
der. See the wonderful Force that holds all 
in its own special place. Law, order, affection- 
ate grouphood ; all following the path of duty, 
our mind's deepest attention is absorbed. We 
would know the all about this beautiful ruling 
of the sky. 

Still gazing and pondering, we seem to get 
an answer, — and oh, so plain it reaches us, 
though whispered to our souls. It said to us : 
That morning star was called into existence 
by Mental-Force-Divine. Divine mind ! That 
star, a world more beautiful than our own may 
be, furnishing a home for man of purer, 
lovelier minds, mayhap, than fill the land of 
our own earth-star! 

Still pondering, watching the worlds in the 
sky, we note these grow more dim, while there 
still seems increasing light ; gray and rosy rays 
of light adorning morning's horizon sky ; now 
brighter and still brighter rays beam in to in- 
troduce a new-born day. Meanwhile a more 
resplendent light comes on; above horizon's 
hill peeps o'er all, the Sol Sun himself, fair 
Monarch of the day ; he speaks, yet no sound, 
no sounded word is heard, for worded lan- 
guage cannot better tell. He tells there is a 



22 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

God! From Him I come; He is my light, my 
life, my all; I am His created servant; I am 
one of God's repositories of light and warmth ; 
I, his agent, am to receive from Him, then to 
reflect and diffuse new beams of genial warmth 
and life-inspiring light. He radiates to me a 
superabundant store; bids me reflect to earth 
and all this family group that round me roll for 
daily needed light and healthful warmth. I but 
reflect from Him these gracious gifts; I, but 
the delivering agent, or sub-agent, am only one 
among very many suns and solar systems that 
march through space to light and warm the 
many worlds and many peoples, and tell them 
there is a God. A God of wisdom and gracious 
power, who loves to divide, of His good self, 
fair light and living warmth to make all 
breathing life more dear and sweet; and to 
bless all worlds that fill the sky. 

Gradually this radiantly gorgeous monarch 
of the day moves on smiling on our little planet 
earth as he goes. Earth so lorn and lost with- 
out the sun to tell of God; to light its blank, 
dark way through heedless space and thought- 
less time. 

Oh, hear ye, men of earth ! See, He gives 
free light to aid you to see your work and all 
the beauteous joys of earth. Then to alternate 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 23 

the night with day and give you soothing hours 
of rest. Oh, man, love the Great All Father, 
God! 

All Universe Tells of God. Nor is Old Sol 
our ruling Sun alone to tell the sweet great 
truth, there is a God ! But see — oh, hear ! 
What hosts do speak ! Whole trains of suns, 
with their attending stars, they all cry out: 
Children of earth, oh, hear us tell ! We are 
a golden band ; we are the armies of the sky ; 
veterans of long ages, who rule the days and 
nights, the seasons of eternal time. Our God, 
He made us all. We feel we know God's 
mighty power Divine. We gladly travel the 
mystic paths through solitude and primal 
space; His loving fingers point us the way; 
point out the path we each must go. Yes, 'tis 
the truest delight to follow close the heavenly 
rule ! We all know God, we love him, to obey ! 

We, we knozv no sorrow — we do obey — we 
know no clash along life's way, as do the sons 
of man; we obey without demur; we have no 
self-will to confuse the Master's laws of 
placid peace; we know no selfishness at 
all, as seems the case with you, poor men ! 
With us, 'tis love, and love is like military rule. 
We know no mortal selfishness ; we only know 
God is Divine; His wisdom we can trust; we 



24 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

trust Him the whole round way, nor care we 
for some untried paths to find, for self -will's 
wisdom might us fail and drive us into the 
place called hell, if such a place there be ! God 
knows, and right will do. We just trust Him 
and obey His laws, for God is wisdom, love 
and power, and we no better way could find. 
We love to keep in sight of God and march 
around His great bright Throne, it; the great, 
central, loveliest Sun! 

Joyous are all the heavenly hosts to tell these 
great, grand truths to man of earth; to make 
man hear their soul delight ; to teach man sure 
there is a God! Oh, man, go love God and 
obey ! Author of all universe. To each, to all 
existence sweet, He gives, gives each some 
little task to do to make existence more 
Divine ; for duty is Divine ! 

To you, oh, earth, a tiny star of tiny men, 
of much self-will, of wisdom small; who do 
almost seem to prefer to sin rather than be 
happy and obey the laws that are hanging o'er 
your heads, why do you skip your bliss, your 
purest joy? Why, to obey, is to but truly live ! 
You wrong yourself, poor man, you do, because 
you do not control self-will and walk in paths 
of purest right. Obey God's laws. You must 
obey if you would live. He is Divine, He, 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 25 

author and ruler is. Yes, He is God, Father 
God, say you ; that God you do not know. 

You ask for some proof that there is a God? 
You figure of mortal thing, you ask if there be 
a God or no ! You, but a mite in God's great 
universe, in your own small shadow you stand 
and ask, nor know nor see God's light! Go, 
little gnat of earth, and ask is there a sun? 
While in its sweet light you do bask and flit on 
your light happy wing, and know not whence 
your every joy doth come. Oh, man, oh, man ! 
Oh, poor, vain man ! Creature of planet and 
earth, somewhat divine and somewhat of the 
devil, too, you say I know not God ! Oh, no, 
poor earth, born eyes are blind, and you are 
but a slave to earth, nor cast your eyes aloft 
nor search your soul ! Man,tiny infant is ; light 
is too bright ; yet, though man cannot see the 
light, he feels, he knows there is the light, and 
man he yet will grow to higher life, man's soul 
will wake and learn of God ! All universe will 
guide man's love-lit eyes when once earth- 
child will wake to learn of God. 

Now little man, of planet earth, he is far 
off, he scarce can hear the all the heavenly 
hosts do tell. Oh, universe is grandly wide — 
man he is small and self -occupied — nor man 
means nary harm to ask is there a God ? For 



26 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

man desires to know. How can man know 
when so earth-bound? Eyes wrapped in clay, 
no spirit eyes awake to see; for see, a baby 
has somewhat to grow e'er yet its parent it can 
know. 

All universe doth tell of God — All universe 
sees and knows its God — and earth a special 
say would have, for earth, she hath a gabby 
tongue, and earth, she knows a deal! Too, 
earth is so close kin to Him. 

But hear, what says man's own earth? Yes, 
man will list to planet earth ; earth matter holds 
man's first love. But tell your story, little earth ! 
Ha! Earth is mighty big, and earth she is a 
paradise. Well, we'll admit her spacious 
grounds and fill of glories mysterious; her 
beauteous scenery, sweet, shady groves and 
birds of song; her flowers so kissed by butter- 
flies, and many extras of time golden days 
while youth and energy are on. Yet man, he 
is not yet full satisfied to stay on earth for- 
evermore. Man would know of a higher life 
— a life at peace with the Great God. Yet 
man, he is not sure of God because he cannot 
see God's face! 

But man is blind, he sleeps, he dreams. Man 
dreams there is a better land and fairer skies ; 
nor storms nor bitter things of time! Man 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 27 

dreams there is a place where friends are true. 
Where neighbors all unselfish are, and where 
no sickness comes — on some brighter star, per- 
haps. Oh, well, we know there is a better 
land ; there is a purer land than earth, but how 
may man that bright land find ? 

Perhaps, 'tis far away. Yes, since we are 
on earth, 'tis well to stay ; yes, stay as long as 
well we can ; we can endure it here a while ; 
will try to grow beyond our baby-state of 
spirit-mind and soul. Perhaps we may grow 
divine, but all earth-life is far too short in 
which to get full manly growth. We are will- 
ing to stay our full time here, though true, we 
find much wrong, and naught is just as we 
would have it be. But the change ! The travel 
we kind of dread! Besides, we fear if to a 
perfect land we go we'd not be fitted to that 
land; they might not let us in up there, but 
send us to the dressing-room to fix and don a 
better, purer garb, and learn some higher aims 
of soul. They might require a term or two of 
rigid school-severe, for we know we're only 
fit for earth and hardly fit for here, we find. 
Then we certainly are not suited for the better 
land we crave — not till we learn some more of 
God, at least, the all that earth can teach. So 
man will wisely stay on earth so long as e'er 



28 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

he can; yes, too, will try to learn of God while 
here on earth. 

Man does not really want to leave this earth ; 
he would forever live this life — if he could 
only live it — yet sometimes sighs; yes, sighs, 
does he ! Man dreams he is an angel, or ought 
to be. He knows he can grow into a higher 
life, even an earth-life the more akin to the 
Divine. Man knows he might the purer grow 
and get ready to find a higher life; but man 
sometimes lazy is, and then again, he fain 
would go ! He would leave earth for the better 
land. 

Man needs a guide to the higher life; the 
narrow way seems steep, yea, full of thorns. 
Man has so little faith, or he could shut his 
mortal eyes and see through eyes of faith. Ah, 
man, he very crooked gets; his self-conceit 
leads him astray. But man's soul calls him to 
long to know and to seek unto God. Earth- 
life gets aweary by and by, and man would 
sleep, to wake with God, — for earth is ever 
telling man of God. Earth says : I know there 
is a God though earth-eyes; spirit may not 
see, yet of God's presence earth may feel. 
Earth, she tells man of God's great love ! 

Yes, earth holds up her lap to man, o'er- 
flowing as it is with gracious gifts of earthly 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 29 

kind; she bids man know they are gifts from 
God to reach man's earthly need. Earth loads 
man down with goodly things, yet oft it is with 
man he takes God's gifts while yet too blind to 
see the giver's hand ! The earth's vast surface, 
alive with rapturous, soulful joy that must be 
heard by mortal man, all telling of God; a 
Mighty God of Loving Soul. 

E'en hoary mountains try to speak to say 
there is a God. We would we could reach up 
all the way to Him, for He it is that made us 
tower so grandly toward the sky, — All, all of 
the reverenced Creator seek. Atoms of earth 
we mountains are, yet atoms akin to the Divine. 
God made these granite rocks of earth, to Him 
they useful are though seemingly so coarse to 
man ; yet would we could grow them into souls 
— what, earthly atoms grow to souls, they, 
seemingly so coarse ? Ne'er mind ; we'll wait, 
dear God, till Thy will shape them into man. 
And then, why can't a man his mind control 
and up into spirit grow ! All earth doth love 
to preach to man. 

Yes, even old ocean's vasty bed doth roar 
to man ; its voice in solemn, mournful sounds 
doth say : I warn you, man, there is a God ! Or 
how could you or I exist? How could we ever 
fill darkened space if God had not put us here? 



30 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Not an atom made itself, nor can one atom 
man destroy ; man only turns it o'er and o'er — 
Eternal, the atoms are! 

God sends them from His body's self, some 
atoms needed daily grow and shape to please 
God-Thought, Divine. How many beauteous 
shapely things there are ! Yes, all must be and 
more must come and into higher states must 
grow. The what to us seems coarse and blank 
may change into some higher life; they'll grow 
from darkness into light. Pearls from some 
old excretia grow; diamonds and sapphires, 
what are they ? 

Yes, ocean's deep would speak to man. Each 
drop of water hath a say. It claims Divinity 
of self. Who knows its selfhood, but its God? 
The corpuscles the atoms make, so pure the 
water atoms are; so pure, all else they would 
make pure, uniting in their power to cleanse. 
They purify, they separate, they build; and 
what is, all the waters do. They show His 
pleasure to obey. Like them could man but 
serve his God, their beautiful lessons would 
not be lost! 

And all of earth some plan doth take in 
earth's mysterious ways. But all doth tell the 
same great truth; and tell it o'er and o'er. 
They praise and bless God's holy name. Oh, 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 31 

could poor man both heed and see as nature 
ever tries to tell there is a God, Divine Cre- 
ator, God! All Father God is He! 

From the tiniest atom up to the highest order 
of God's creations, all have some conscious- 
ness of its creator, Father-God. God's law it 
would abide. Each creature must its God- 
given law obey if it would happy be. Law, 
God's agent to follow up earth in all its needs, 
to guide and nurse the great, the small; all 
need this paternal care, this God-thought ex- 
tended. Law is to all an answer given if there 
be a God or not. 

Man's soul, when not asleep, doth tell fond 
reason's blinded queries bold if there be a 
God or no ! For man in all his piled-up lore 
cannot give the life to clay ! Man, with sad, 
weeping eye, looks on, sees the dearest idol of 
his heart has passed from life to death, — yes, 
fiat of God, now shown through law — Alas ! 
No power of man, not the laid-up lore of gen- 
erations passed can keep life there ! Only God 
this all can do ! God is God ! 

Tis only God hath life to give ! Man, earth, 
all universe, gets its all from God. When man's 
spirit-soul-self, beyond the infant spirit grows, 
he will know more of God. Man's soul is ever 
telling him of his Spirit Father. All for which 



32 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

he longs is man's innate proof of his Father's 
existence-hood. Man's soul asks, pleads for 
his Father! Pleads of God to know. Nor 
pleads man's infant-soul in vain ! As fast as 
man's spirit-eyes can bear the light, that fast 
will spirit-life and spirit-light be given. Enough 
of God is given out to man just as fast as man 
is able to receive. "Ask," ere it shall be given. 
Man must be willing to know of God. "Seek 
and ye shall find." Man created in the image 
of God is at liberty to choose the what he pre- 
fers. If man chooses to study and grow in his 
spiritual sentiments of mind, he is free to do 
so. If man choose to live in his baser animal 
propensities, he also is at liberty to live the 
baser and more animal life. The brute animal 
has no choice. The brute can only be the 
brute, having no higher sentiments of mind- 
hoodness, having no spirit-nature to be de- 
veloped. 

The average mortal man has a Godly share 
of the spirit-soul sentiments that may be culti- 
vated — if he chooses to. These soul-senti- 
ments are man's links to heaven. 

Man is not utterly a brute; even in lowly 
grades the man has some consciousness of 
God. The savage casts his eyes upward; 
speaks of the "happy hunting grounds ;" knows 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 33 

there is the Great Spirit up, up, somewhere in 
the sky! "Each spark of soul, some spirit 
knows." 

As is the great law of physical attraction; 
so is the spiritual attraction. God binds His 
works to Himself, — God-soul and Creator 
draws man to him! Within man's soul some 
loadstone lies that ever draws him toward the 
skies ! But earth environments are strong. 
Man is so filled with earthly care that he scarce 
can think of his spirit's needs; man's body 
claims his every moment of time. Man is so 
largely animal ; so self-engrossed. Conceited, 
too, is the earthly man. Believes in his per- 
sonal animal self ; sometimes almost feels him- 
self a god; thinks he already knows the All. 

Yet man, if in a normal state of nature, 
has some spirithoodness unless a man of very 
beastly grade. To a high-graded man, yet 
perverted, still has some spark of spirit de- 
sire as to his everlasting destiny ! Some far- 
ofif hope of salvation; still longs after the 
higher life; longs still after God! Soul- 
spirit-ego is hard to crush to death ! Soul- 
spirit-ego will die hard when, if to die, it must ! 
Spirit-ego knows it inherits its spirithood of 
beinghood as a child of the One Great God ! 



34 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 



DERZHAVIN'S ODE TO GOD. 

"O Thou Eternal One ! Whose Presence Bright, 
All space doth occupy, all motion guide. — 
Unchanged through Time's all-devastating flight; 
Thou only God. — There is no God beside ! 
Being above all things ! Mighty and Glorious One ! 
Whom none can comprehend, and none explore, 
Embracing all — supporting— ruling o'er — 
Being whom we call God! And know no more. 

In its sublime research, philosophy 
May measure out the ocean deep, may count 
The sands, or the sun's rays — but God ! — For Thee 
There is no weight nor measure ! — Nor can mind 

reach 
Up to Thy mysteries. — Reason's bright spark 
Though kindled by Thy light, in vain would try 
To trace Thy Councils, — infinite and deep ! 
And thought is lost, e'er thought can soar so high — 
E'en like past moments in eternity. 

Thou from primeval nothingness didst call, 

First chaos, then existence: — Lord! On Thee 

Eternity had its foundation : — All 

Sprang forth from Thee — of light, joy, harmony 

Sole origin : All life, all beauty — Thine. — 

Thy Word created all, and — doth create! — 

Thy splendor fills all space with rays divine. 

Thou art, and wert and shall be ! Glorious ! Great ! 

Light-giving, life-sustaining Potentate. — 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 35 

Thy chains the unmeasured universe surround, 
Upheld by Thee, by Thee inspired with breath! 
Thou the beginning with the end has bound 
And beautifully mingled life with death! 
As sparks move upward from the fiery blaze 
So suns are born, so worlds spring forth from Thee, 
And as the spangles in the sunny rays 
Shine round the silver snow, — the pageantry 
Of heaven's bright, bright army glitters in Thy 
praise. — 

A million torches lighted by Thy hand 

Wander unwearied through the blue abyss. 

They own Thy Power, accomplish Thy command ; 

All gay with life, all eloquent with bliss, 

What shall we call them? — Piles of crystal light? 

A glorious, glorious company of golden, golden 

streams ? 
Lamps of celestial ether burning bright? 
Sons of lightning, systems of suns with their joyous 

bands? 
But Thou to these art as the noon to night, 
Yes, as a drop of water in the sea are these to Thee. 

Compared to Thee all this magnificence is lost — 
What are the treasures of the worlds on worlds 

compared to Thee! 
All this magnificence of worlds on worlds is lost. 
What are the treasures of the whole world's panoply 

to Thee ! 
And what am I, then ! Heaven's unnumbered hosts, 
Though multiplied by myriads, and arrayed 
In all the glory of unnumbered suns or poetry of 

sublimest thought, 



36 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Is but one atom in the balance weighed 
Against Thy Greatness — is a cipher brought 
Against Infinity ! — O, what am I, then, — nought ! 

Nought ! — Yet the effluence of Thy light divine, 

Pervading world, hath reached my bosom, too. 

Yes, in my spirit doth Thy Spirit shine 

As shines the sun's beams in a drop of dew. 

Nought ! But I live, and on hope's pinions fly, 

Eager to Thy Presence — for in Thee 

I live, and breathe, and dwell, aspiring high 

E'en to the throne of Thy Divinity ! 

I am, O God ! And surely Thou must be ! — 

Creation. — Yes ! Thy wisdom and Thy word 
Created me! Thou Source of life and good, 
Thou Spirit of my spirit, and my Lord ! 
Thy light, Thy love, in their bright plentitude 
Filled me with an immortal soul, to spring 
O'er the abyss of death, and bade it wear 
The garments of eternal day, and wing 
Its heavenly flight beyond this sphere 
E'en to its Source — to Thee its Author ! Thee ! 

O, Thou Invisible ! — O, visions bright — 
Enough worthless conceptions all of Thee — 
Yet shall Thy shadowed image fill my breast 
And waft its homage to Thy Deity ! — 
God ! Thou alone my lonely thoughts can soar, 
Thus seek Thy presence, Being wise and Good ! 
'Midst Thy vast works admire, obey, adore ! 
And when the tongue is eloquent no more 
The soul shall speak in tears of gratitude ! 



CHAPTER II. 

LOVE — WISDOM — WILL — POWER. 

Love longs to bless ; Wisdom knows how to 
bless ; Will commands to bless ; Power is able 
to bless. God-desire blesses! Creation is a 
blessing. 

Love — Wisdom — Will — Power, and soul de- 
sire, attributes of personality. Attributes, the 
highest and noblest the mind can conceive. At- 
tributes of creative cause; created universe an 
effect. See God; creation's loving cause! 
Mind, Soul, Body! 

God-thought emanates from God-mindhood. 
God-love from God-soulhood. God-Power 
from God-allhood; as is God- force expressed 
in the material physical universe. Created uni- 
verse the work of God-allness ! 

God, the Great Self is unselfish ! Hence be- 
stows of His Infiniteness upon universe; — 
See the secret of creation ! Personality de- 
sires ; personality executes. 

Created universe is not responsible for its 
existencehood. Created universe is caused and 
all universe heeds Divine care-taking. 



38 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

See Universe! See Creator God! See the 
mighty work of mighty hands ! See the space 
extends; see radiated matter floating off into 
space to cheer the blank loneliness of dark, 
helpless space. Ethereal air; now loading its 
wings with atoms of varied sorts, as yet 
chaotic. Perhaps igneous and nebulous ; fluid- 
like unto water. 

But somewhere God is there! God, the 
great self -existent Auto-beinghood existence 
doth desire. God loves to exist. God desires; 
God exists ! Existence is sweet ; so sweet it 
must be shared! Great, loving Soul-hood of 
God of His fullness of life would bestow life. 
All must live! For He lives; His life, His 
existence He shares. Shares to all, both great 
and small. God's great love calls all else to 
existence; from blank nothingness to the all- 
fullness of beautiful existencehood; to life- 
hood in its existence of joyousness. 

To all worlds on which life must dwell, a 
Being, Divine-mind calls the beginning to all 
created universe and all follows in beautiful 
order. Of His Allness, God calls building ma- 
terial to His service, atomic matter, living 
existencehood needs a place upon which to 
dwell ; a solid, firm foundation ; solid matter 
needed. 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 39 

Matter exists; how? Is not matter God- 
thought materialized? Of God-allness, He 
generates and calls into His service atoms of 
just such nature as He can apply to His uses. 
Radiates these atoms into space, there ready 
as building material awaiting His command. 
Matter; God-thought visibly expressed. 

The Great God Divine! Being of Love! 
Himself He would bestow that all may exist 
that every conceivable thing may exist, live, 
enjoy. 

Love is so happy it desires a whole universe 
of happiness ! Creative Genius Divine ! All 
must exist; to obtain the greatest happiness 
possible great variety is introduced into uni- 
verse. The small as well as the great; every 
possible thing; the less beautiful as well as the 
attractingly beautiful must be created; every- 
thing that can live must live. Everything that 
can taste of the sweets of existence must exist ! 
The joy of living hood must be amplified to the 
very fullest extent. Hence the noble and the 
less noble ; the low-graded as well as the high- 
graded are necessary. All, all must exist; 
everything that can possibly appreciate exist- 
ence must exist. Sufficient is God's love to 
share its sweetness to all. 

First, matter, then the individualization or 



40 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

organization of matter; organized beinghood. 
Organization enhances happiness. Even atoms 
are organized ; each atom becomes a special in- 
dividual, a tiny little egohood, as it were, 
knowing yet not reasoning. See the tiniest 
little molecule of matter filled with everlasting 
evidence of God's presence; a minute particle 
of God's Allness. 

Matter moves, chaotic matter, fluid, like unto 
water. God's loving spirit "moves upon the 
face of the waters." All the little tiny, live, 
intelligent atoms began to lovingly move into 
molecules, globules, globular masses. God 
said : "Let there be light." God-thought made 
visible; Light a first offspring; Light a soul 
element, as it were! God-creature-thought, 
calls light into existence ; all matter ; matter of 
every grade to meet demands of every grade 
of created universe. Bids matter exist in every 
degree, grade, variety and sort, or else trans- 
mutes. Bids matter take on any grade, from 
the holy spiritesse, mindesse or lifesse, or the 
electric element, or heat, or light, or of still 
other grades, as best suits the builder's shaping 
needs. But solid matter is the frame work 
of all universe; solid matter like unto the 
"asseous system," or skeleton upon which the 
Divine Love-thought would build all the graces 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 41 

of the lovely, the beautiful, the sublime, the 
all-entrancing soulfulness of nature's universe 
— even the spiritual may wish to mix in with 
the beautiful that is found mid solid matter; 
to the better link the whole to God. 

God-thought- force builds and transmutes as 
suits His pleasures. First atomic matter ; then 
organic. When God said, "Let there be light/' 
nebulous chaotic matter became electrified, as 
it were, at such command. The mists of wan- 
dering waters glistened under the golden 
light. Darkness receded. God-love-thought is 
felt. The atoms are attracted into closer 
family group relationships; earth, "without 
form and void." Yet see, earth now takes 
lovely roundness of form; shining waters 
recede to ocean beds, dry land appears — solid 
matter, five and one-half times heavier than 
water — because of Love's Divine fiat. Some 
land suits man better than all water. 

"Let the dry land appear." In the beginning 
Divine fiat precedes all law. But see matter; 
matter is made wisely and well. 

The very God himself doth stoop to labor 
grand! See, the tiniest little atom comes 
bubbling from His hand. The atoms are made 
by God himself. Atoms almost Divine ! Mat- 
ter in plastic form ; in shape convenient to 



42 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

mold into all other needed forms ; little bricks, 
so to speak, to build into mighty walls; yes, 
walls of universe. 

Personality is of God, is like unto God. God 
is personal. Of God's allness He gives unto 
His creations; so gives identity of beinghood 
to all He created. As the creation grades up 
in its degree of beinghood the more distinct 
becomes its identityhood, its egohood. Man 
the Divinest and highest of all created being- 
hoods ! No two men are alike ; also there are 
many planets, yet but one earth. Personality 
the bestowal of the Great Personal God ! God's 
voice calls worlds, suns, moons and stars to 
exist. Planets of every grade of beinghood. 
Suns the great magnetic centers to keep each 
baby planet star in a kindred oneness with the 
f amily-grouphood ; the planet sun loves all the 
planet family; the family all love the parent 
sun. All the great family groups are loved by 
the great center of all ; do, in grateful homage, 
love back. Love, the binding chain that makes 
the all as one. "In the beginning," Divine 
word of command called organization to hap- 
pify chaotic matter. God's voice, "Let there 
be firmament," is heard. Suns gather their 
families together. Solar systems join into 
bands. "In the beginning" were the heavens 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 43 

made, and all the hosts of them ! Suns, planets, 
solar systems, and systems of systems. 

Go study God's great starhood. When- 
ever the mortal soul is o'erwhelmed with 
earth's sorrow ! Innate meditation of this ex- 
pression of All-Father-love will soothe the 
grief-stricken mortal ! "Earth hath no sorrow 
that heaven cannot heal." See those glittering 
stars of light; great magic lanterns to light all 
space. Oh, space, how many suns of light 
have you ? For see the myriad suns of shining 
light ; see the families of reverent groups ; yes, 
see families of families ! See planets ; grand, 
glorious systems of systems; what conjuries 
stars do form, and still must form, and clus- 
ters small and great do grow; what "milky 
ways" of joyous life and zones of shining light. 
Myriads of heavenly egoes there, to tell us of 
creative love! All well, as God is there. All 
lights are sweet evidence of the existence of 
God. No matter how grandly great these 
heavenly orbs do be, they each carry with them 
some evidence of dependence on some greater 
Force ! That Force proceeds from God. Man 
may not measure God Divine, yet man knows 
all Force must come from God. A "beginning" 
had to be of our great universe. Matter, God- 
thought made visibly expressed. Matter of 



44 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

all grades ; from the Divine spiritesse down to 
cruder grades ; subservient to spirit use. 

Of crude matter are worlds organized, as is 
our world, ere yet they can be a familyhood. 
So also are all worlds clothed upon, vege- 
table and animal living-beinghood fills our 
world. Other worlds, though not like ours, 
still living intelligences of some kind suited to 
those atmospheres would well befit such beau- 
teous worlds. They magnify the glory of God 
should all these worlds be clothed upon. 

But oh, what wond'rous love is this? 
Nothing too great, nothing too small. Love 
unmeasured create them all. But joy and 
pastime to Mighty Mind! And, too, to give 
of His All-beinghood ; His own sweet self 
to thus reflect. God knows Himself. He bids 
Himself serve all; not even an atom small of 
the crudest matter, so called, but God provides 
for it; be it a lone atom or a majestic sun, its 
innate get-up of beinghood has some hint of 
the intelligence and lifehoodness that God sent 
it ofif with. And the crude, coarse atom must 
lie alongside with the spiritesse atom in the 
man-ego. God-thought extended follows all 
radiations from His Allness Great. Every 
atom, every globe, every living thing upon the 
globes are called into existence by All-Father 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 45 

Creator. Each given its special identihood, be 
that higher or lower degree. All so endowed 
as to attain unto the joys of its family-ordained 
beinghood. 

Love-thought providing for its perfectibility 
under obedience to the laws sent out with it to 
aid it. Each gets its share of Divine Presence 
and love. The material has its material des- 
tiny, the spiritual its spiritual destiny; yet in 
the realm of spirituality of beinghood there is 
greater spirituality of privileges, of choice of 
opportunities in its being's destiny. When God 
gives spirit mind to man He gives the God-like 
privilege of choice of self-destiny. 

To all earth-animal-beinghood is given to 
obey the earth law of revolution. Animal- 
beinghood, as it is of the cruder elements of 
physical matter, is happier to revolve; to take 
on organized states for a given term; "bud, 
bloom and fade;" fulfill a given purpose; at- 
tain an animal or vegetable perfection; enjoy 
that perfected state until it wearies of that 
sameness, then casts that state aside to take on 
other states. 

This is earth-life in all its organizations. 
The physical earth atoms revolve ; they do not 
die, the organism dies. But spirit organisms, 
if once attaining a high degree of perfectness 



46 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

while yet on earth, have other stages of exist- 
ence than is afforded by earth environments. 

"Our souls can never die, 
Cherished and blessed !" 

When earth-man's first parents were cre- 
ated, God made man His Divinest creation, "in 
his own image." God seemed to want to honor 
earth with a higher degree of His own Great- 
Allness ; so He made man, "in His own image 
created He him, ,, but seemed to want man to 
be an inhabitant of earth for the term of earth 
— animal-life, given to a higher, a spiritual 
destiny — if man's spirit-will desires and at- 
tains to it. Man created to a higher life as well 
as an earth life. God pursued thus a higher 
plan in creating man; gave man soul-life as 
well as earth-animal-life. 

God "breathed into his nostrils the breath 
of life and man became a living soul." To 
God's other animal creations He gave only ani- 
mal life. All animal organisms breathe in the 
vital oxygen from earth's abundance. Man's 
animal body has also to breathe in vital earth 
oxygen to maintain his earth-animal-life. The 
spiritesse that passeth into man's nostrils to- 
gether with the oxygen bear to man from God, 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 47 

by the ether air, and being blended in with the 
atoms of the common air, is the food matter 
element of the spirit-ego part of man's nature. 
Only the spirit-ego can use the spirit-esse ; only 
do thinking and reasoning animals use the 
spirit-mind-esse. The animal-mind-esse is 
used by all earth intelligence; it feeds earth- 
mind and even all earth creatures that possess 
intelligence. Also the animal-life-esse is the 
element of matter that feeds all living animal 
creatures. But earth-life-esse and earth-mind- 
esse is not all man gets, he also gets spirit-life- 
esse, and pure spirit-esse, too. 

When God created man and gave him spirit- 
life He provided for man's spirit needs. God 
radiates these elements to earth ; the spirit-esse 
and also spirit-mind-esse. Man has within 
himself the evidence of this, in the every-day 
realization of his being superior to all other 
earth creatures in his mind powers ; in reason- 
ing, meditation, reflecting mind powers ; in his 
esthetic tastes, and his faith and spirit inspira- 
tions. 

When the animal breathes in common air, 
'tis the oxygen that is utilized. Brutes can't 
use spirit-esse. Animals breathe in oxygen 
only, which is said to constitute one-half of all 
physical matter, and must of necessity be taken 



48 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

into the organism in very large quantities, as 
a bodily- food-element, just as is carbon. Still 
there s a further need in the animal's physical 
body for more oxygen. It must also be 
breathed in, and in large quantities, yet a 
meagre life may exist on a less measure than 
is really normal, but it is not a very healthy 
state. 

By activity of mind a man may use a larger 
measure of mind-esse-atoms, or less, if there 
be little or no mind activity. One man may 
be smarter and nobler than another; one man 
may take in more of the mind-esse than does 
some other man. This is largely optional with 
all men, yet environments do have a telling in- 
fluence on the characteristic qualities of all 
men. 

Just how man is to build himself up to the 
highest degree of material and spirituality is 
the grand secret of life! 

The exercise, normally, of the mind and 
spirit-selfhood eventually has great influence. 
A right exercise must cause their growth. The 
efforts made to educate are, as a rule, directed 
more to mind culture than to spirit culture. 
Perhaps this is the reason that man has learned 
more of mind than spirit, and being very ani- 
mal inclined, sees the better how he can use 
mind to meet animal inclined wants. 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 49 

But God has not created any beinghood with- 
out providing for all the needs of beinghood. 
The eighty ultimate elements, some of which 
are termed crude or coarse matter, are all 
needed. Other elements of matter are needed, 
and do exist. Divinity created all of them. 
Some of these, about eighty, submit to chem- 
ical analysis, some do not. The life element of 
earth is found to belong to earth, but neither 
the life-element nor the mind-element are sub- 
jected to the chemist's analysis. 

And what shall we say as to what we do 
know and what we do not know regarding 
electricity in the every-day used elements of 
light and heat? 

We are studying creation; spirit-esse and 
mind-esse, life-esse, are, like oxygen, carbon, 
nitrogen and hydrogen, together with all pri- 
mal elements of matter, are created. These 
are the substances that God just sends out, 
then calls them into organization. The "dust 
of the ground" God created before He created 
"first parents." All matter first made, then 
beinghood. 

Creation Includes a Great Deal. Creation 
is truly grand ! The beautiful work of infinite 
hands. God did it; God knew how to do it. 
God is not responsible to man for having ere- 



50 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

ated universe just as He did do it. If man is 
not satisfied with the position he gets, he should 
be, for 'tis better than no place at all. 'Tis an 
honor to be included anywhere* in such a mag- 
nificent arrangement, such a superb universe 
as this ! A grand machinery, indeed, and one 
that fills man's soul with thanks, notwithstand- 
ing its intricacies of such extreme complicated 
mechanism. Man has truly an honored posi- 
tion; himself responsible as to shaping the 
spiritual destiny of one of the beautiful planets 
belonging to grand universe. Glad to get a 
position in the glorious job, than which, what 
nobler work could mortal crave to do, but to 
serve God, and himself seek to grow into per- 
fection, even as his God Father is perfect ! 

Bible or Inspirational Account of Creation. 

i . ! i : 

This seems to be much in harmony with what 
scientific studies show. A beginning, a cre- 
ative cause — God! "God created the heavens 
and the earth." The earth, all matter, was 
without form and void, nothing visible. "Dark- 
ness (nothingness) was upon the face of the 
deep" — nothingness. As matter began to exist, 
floating in atoms like mists of watery vapor, 
perhaps, at least, chaotic, fluid-like as if it 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 51 

were water — and probably all the alternate ele- 
ments do exist in sea water — through trans- 
mutation, all may be one and the one all, to 
inspiration's eye as water. 

"And the spirit of God moved upon the face 
of the waters." All matter vibrates in love to 
God from whose Great-Allness it had been 
sent out. God said, "Let there be light." Light 
like unto its Creator is much needed. God's 
spirit-mind shot forth light which seems to 
electrify all else. "God saw the light, that it 
was good." 

The inspired prophet prophesying or seeing 
way back, does not tell us that God "created" 
darkness, or at all pronounced upon it. God 
evidently did not create the darkness; it was 
mere absence of light. 

But "God divided the light from the dark- 
ness." — "God called the light day, and the 
darkness He called night." But a day of 
creation was a long time; not a period of 
twenty-four hours, for the period of twenty- 
four hours, which man's sun measures to him 
by his own earth planet's revolution on its 
axis, could not then mean a "day," of but 
twenty- four hours, but a period which masses, 
in brief, called "day." For earth's ruling 
planet sun was not created till the fourth day 
period. 



52 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

"Light," and not darkness, was created by 
the Divine creator, God. Yet mid God's cre- 
ations He permits some darkness. Moses 
knew more of earth, sun, moon and stars, and 
although speaking inspiringly, he still very 
naturally tells more particularly of what any- 
one's observations would be likely to call up. 
So he tells specially of sun and moon, "two 
great lights/' greater because more subservient 
to man. Then the fourth day's period's cre- 
ation. Then ere yet sun was created God said : 
"Let there be a firmament in the midst of the 
waters," — mind, all this floating matter. "And 
let it divide the water from the waters," — 
dividing the waters which were under the 
firmament from the waters which were above 
the firmament, thus calling for the organiza- 
tion of all, or at least a large portion of the 
floating matter ; calling the firmament Heaven, 
— Second day period. 

On the third day period God specially — as 
man saw it — devoted to earth and its cruder 
organizations. "And God said : Let the waters 
under the heavens — that is to say, the waters 
of earth — be gathered together, and the dry 
land appear." Then the waters receded into 
ocean's beds, its "place." On the third day 
period also, vegetable organizations. "God 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT S3 

said : Let the earth bring forth grass ; the earth 
yielding seed, and the fruit tree, after his kind 
whose seed is in itself upon the earth/' 

The appointed revolutions of the planetary 
system is taught in : "Let there be lights in the 
firmament of heaven to divide the day — here, 
day is a revolution of solar planets on their 
axis — from the night, and let there be for signs 
and for seasons, orbitual motions — and for 
days, dimnial motions — and for years, orbitual 
solar system motions, as does science teach the 
revolutions of all the heavenly orbs. But 
the comets — supposed to be ominous signs — 
and upon their motions, astrology gets excus- 
able, perhaps, while really the sun of our solar 
system and earth's one moon do produce some 
special effect upon our planet earth. "He 
made the stars also," — suns of other solar sys- 
tems. 

On the fifth day period men, fish and also 
feathered tribes organizations. "God said let 
the waters bring forth abundantly the moving 
creature that hath life." Great whales. The 
living thing that moveth, which the waters 
brought forth "after their kind." "And fowl 
that may fly above the earth in the open firma- 
ment of heaven — every winged thing after 
their kind." He bade them "be fruitful and 



54 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

multiply and fill the waters, and let fowl mul- 
tiply in the earth." 

On the sixth day period — the first portion — 
God said, "Let the earth bring forth living 
creatures after its kind — many sorts — cattle 
and creeping things, and beasts after their 
kind." 

"God saw that it was good," all these mani- 
fold creatures. Earth was now able to sustain 
the highest grade of living things. Man could 
now breathe in earth's atmosphere and subsist 
upon the plants, animals, etc. 

And now God cometh with His angel son — 
God and man-like, too. "God said let us make 
man in our own image, after our likeness ; and 
let him domain." And God created man, "of 
the dust of the ground," as were other beasts of 
the field, but unlike other creatures, God did 
more for man ; God "breathed into man's nos- 
trils the breath of life," gave man life-esse, 
and man became a living soul. He "bade man 
be fruitful and multiply," did not exempt man 
from the duty of self -propagation, though 
gave him full rule of all earth things. 

In "likeness to God" leads man to reason, 
that not only is he made of spiritual nature, 
but that also is his body shape in similitude to 
the Glorious Bodyhood of God, and, too, that 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 55 

spiritual shape is in similitude to man's mortal 
shape. Though spirit-like mind sets little by 
distance or intervening physical obstacles, but 
like unto sunlight, can conveniently go right 
through the window pane of glass ; nor is any 
physical substance able to hinder the pure, 
well-organized spirit-ego, and can recognize 
itself as such. Possibly a partially grown and 
defective spirit-ego may be tarried in its prog- 
ress while yet under the physical environ- 
ments. In these stages the ego-man is a com- 
pound beinghood partaking of the physicality 
as its shell and embodying spiritually as the 
spirit-germinal lifehood as the life-germ within 
the shell. Just as is a man a mind-ego as well 
as an animal-ego. The mind-ego the covering 
tissue-material of pure soul-spirit-germ which 
may or may not develop if reason-ego or 
physical-ego press upon it so not to permit its 
growth. 

As we see it, the old Jewish Bible account 
of creation teaches us, in general terms, the 
same as is taught by the study of the earth 
from scientific standpoints. Too, in our study 
of mental science, psychology phrenology and 
man's intuition, we find these indicate the spir- 
ituality of man-ego quite as plain as taught in 
the Bible. 



56 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Recapitulation of Creation. In man's de- 
gree of spirit-ego-hood, even in the highest 
earth states of development, is a very tiny, yet 
undeveloped spirit-ego; of necessity this must 
be small while man is all-absorbed with his 
bodily needs. Yet the image of God is pho- 
toed in the man-ego's makeup, if the man will 
but closely and clearly look deeply within him- 
self, he will find there the miniature picture of 
his Creator-Father ; God waiting to get devel- 
opment, still is found to be after the similitude 
of the Great Master Builder of Universe. But 
man has enough of God-likeness-hood about 
him to enable him to know somewhat of his 
Father-God who started him off "in the Be- 
ginning with the breath of spirit-life breathed 
into his nostrils, and spirit-esse element as 
plentiful to the spirit-ego-hood as is the phys- 
ical oxygen principle to the physical-ego-hood. 
And though giving man an earth-home and an 
earth-body as the outer shell of his spirit-body, 
still this "living soul-hood of man may reach 
to higher plains than this earth life! Man 
knows, in his soul he has heir-ship to spirit- 
life! Feels the "vital spark of heavenly 
flame;" nor is man's pure reason at all op- 
posed to this God-made arrangement. 

Reason is ever hunting for some evidence to 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 57 

prove man is heir to eternal life. Reason is 
twin brother to spirit-mind. The one gets lost 
without the other; man may cultivate the one 
and neglect the other, yet the one is not satis- 
fied without the other. 

God's radiated atmosphere extends to all 
space; carries with it, born on the wings of 
ether air, the all that is needed that is not 
already there. All substances of whatever 
kind, all matter of every nature originates with 
God. 

Love, light, life; the life-esse, the mind-esse, 
the pure-spirit-esse, spirit-mind-esse, spiritual- 
life-esse; He radiates all from His All-being- 
hood ; all creation is amply supplied in all its 
manifold needs. Some of these gifts to earth 
can be used only by man; the spirit-life-esse, 
spirit-mind-esse and pure-spirit-esse can be 
utilized only by spirit-ego-hood. 

In creating the cruder creatures, God called 
into their organisms purely earth elements; 
hence the spirit-life-esse, the spirit-mind-esse 
and the pure spirit-esse cannot be utilized in 
these constitutions; they being only created 
physic-earth beings, can only utilize physical- 
earth elements; can use earth matter only. 
The earth-life-esse and earth-mind-esse are 
purely earth elements, as are carbon, nitrogen, 



58 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

etc. Mind-esse atoms exist in all earth matter ; 
as earthy-atoms, or corpuscles of atoms. But 
spirit-mind-esse-atoms are different from 
earth-mind-esse-atoms. So is spirit-life-esse- 
atoms different from earth-life-esse-atoms. All 
earth matter is under specifically spiritual laws, 
yet accommodates itself, as best it can, to the 
earth-matter-laws. As was exemplified in 
Jesus Christ, a Spirit-being, yet to help earth- 
man to some better knowledge of God, this, the 
Son-ship-hood of God, took upon Himself a 
mortal body, subject to mortal needs, also to 
mortal sufferings; but if occasion called for it, 
His spirit-mind-ego rose to its God-hoodness. 
God has not left this earth without evidence of 
His being a Great Personal Spirit; together 
God as well as a Great Creator God. "Earth is 
full of the goodness of God." Earth if full of 
life; earth receives life. The earth-life-esse- 
atoms abound. So full of this earth-life-prin- 
ciple is all earth matter, that in very low grade 
organisms a spontaneous life existence seems 
anxious to grow from this fullness of earth- 
life-esse in all atoms. 

This earth-life-esse lies latent; seemingly 
twin sister to the all abounding mind-esse. But 
the wakeful sister-mind-esse-atom is ever 
knowing what is what. 'Tis she that kindly 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 59 

calls to wakefulness her sleepy little twin 
sister-life-esse if there is a chance for sister- 
atom of life-esse to take on higher life by 
entering an organism, either to feed the cell 
of an apple or of a man or any living thing 
whatever. But if slow to wake, their sister 
mind-esse hurries up life-esse. 

The animal life-esse thrives well on earth; 
the earth mind-esse does well, is the ruling 
element on earth. The spiritual-esses are not 
quite so much at home here, yet like exotic 
plants will wonderfully thrive if well cared 
for. Yes, though earth's soil does not grow 
any giant spirit-egoes, — is a little too rough 
and rigorous — still the seed-grown-spirit God 
places here as in the "beginning," bids for the 
germs to sprout up; later to be transplanted 
where the soil and clime are more genial. Sad 
to say that these delicate spirit-ego plants do 
not always germinate, sprout and grow as well 
as it seems they might, for great spirit-egoes 
could survive here on this planet. But 
creature love plentifully supplies the pure 
spirit-ego-esse-atoms, and the spirit-mind- 
esse-atoms, so that the spirit-ego-hood may 
grow up with the animal-ego-hood. And if the 
will of man were as considerate of his spir- 
ituality of beinghood — as he is so created by 



60 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

right of inheritance to be, we will find earth 
rich in spirituality! 

God abundantly radiates the spirit-esse- 
atoms, the spirit-mind-esse-atoms, and the life- 
esse-atoms to electrify and enable man the 
more to exalt and transmute the coarser ele- 
ments of clay so that God's "Kingdom may 
come" the better on earth. 

Auto-hood is all Power, is creation, is all 
Father, is God ! From His Great- Allsomeness 
is radiated all that is ! From His Great Loving 
spirit-ego, spirit-esse is radiated! From His 
lofty mind-ego is radiated spirit-mind-esse. 
From His All perfect spirit body is radiated 
life-esse. No effort of man to send a prayer- 
phoned-message up to the Mercy-seat of the 
Great Central, but is heard ! "God Provided." 
Perhaps not in our way, but in His own good 
way He provides. 

In the beginning crude matter for the foun- 
dation of the worlds, God in Love-thought 
called all into existence. In His Divine All- 
ness He created the Great physical universe of 
worlds! All these His Great Mind-thought- 
force in His great plan foresaw the need on 
which to place man and all his delicate crea- 
tures. God Himself exists through His own 
beautiful desire to exist! 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 61 

In His perfections of unselfishness being- 
hood He desires to see every conceivable thing 
exist ; from the grand universe of worlds down 
to the most infinitesimal atom ; all in His great 
plan of creation! God first called into exist- 
ence atom matter of every grade and variety 
that He, in His infinite wisdom, foresaw a need 
or use for, and making of it the most adapted- 
ness to His building services; matter made 
wisely and well. All is matter ; all God-made. 
Well suited to build the Universe of worlds, 
and made it, too, as the material with which to 
clothe upon the worlds. 

Thought matter, when He created it, — Love 
is the all-ruling principle of His pure, glorious 
beinghood. He implanted it in every atom of 
matter as He created it; gave it, too, body- 
hoodness and also some degree of wisdom or 
intelligence. And spirit matter, too, is pos- 
sessed of life and spirithood. 

After creating matter, the building material, 
He then gave matter ego-hood, in some de- 
gree. All of God's own gracious qualities 
would He divide out to His creations. An 
existence, a personality of existence, lifehood, 
happiness ! Gives each created thing such 
felicity of beinghood as is suited. A conscious- 
ness of its own beinghood sufficient for it to 



62 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

fulfill that destiny which His All-wisdom saw 
fit to bestow upon it. The mineral, vegetable 
and animal kingdoms God created in the "Be- 
ginning," and so interwoven are all these that 
the first idea suggested to the earnest student 
is that all these kingdoms of nature seem to be 
in love with each other. They are clearly inter- 
woven and largely dependent upon each other. 
Not only is man "made of the dust of the 
ground," an animal created of clay, — largely — 
but all vegetable and animal creations are built 
of these ultimate elements of earth. 

The earth with its envelope of special earth- 
atmosphere is all still earth matter — the visible 
substances is the what that is the most noticed 
by man — found in three special states — are 
solid, fluid and gaseous. Probably there is no 
element but may assume each of these three 
states. Some of the more subtle of these may 
rarely assume a solid, or visible state, yet these 
constitute earth in the wholeness of creation. 
Many, if not all, of these enter into organized 
states of some degree of beinghoodness. Car- 
bon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen form far 
more largely the visible body-hood of vegetable 
and animal creations, yet the mind-esse and 
the life-esse are there, too; there, and in very 
large proportions, and when absent, the ego is 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 63 

no more, and that vegetable or animal-ego has 
run its round ; its day is passed and gone ; its 
garments now to be worn by some other ego, 
perhaps of lower, perhaps of higher grade. 

The egohood of the vegetable and animal 
life is the great spirituality of gift from Cre- 
ator to created. 'Tis the what that clothes upon 
the worlds. To man the still greater gift of 
spirit-ego-hood is given. 

Oh, life, in all its felicity, whence came so 
divine a gift but from the Divine Person, 
Loving God-thought! How beautiful, how in- 
terestingly created is all universe! All the 
beautiful and lovely of earth seems a soul food, 
as it were, to the higher created being, man ! 

Love Divine is no stingy giver ! Love makes 
guiding suns to give life, light and existence. 
Love clothes these worlds with beauties, 
ecstacies of delight flooding all beinghood. But 
God's greater bestowment on earth is spirit. 
Spirit-life and spirit-ego-hood. Thus love 
links earth upward to heaven by bestowment 
upon earth the spirit-souled creation, man, 
thus adding to earth's all ready overflowing 
adornments. This transcendent love gift of 
even God's own selfhood, a spirituality ! Earth 
is not all made of clay ; earth hath its soulhood, 
too, as well as its beautiful body-hood-spirit- 



64 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

uality clothed upon! "Oh, Love Divine, how 
sweet thou art !" 

In material earth organisms, behold mys- 
terious wisdom. Just see the tender, loving 
fingers of God's own gentle Creator hand in 
the delicate and wonderous mechanicism of the 
eye, or the intricacies of the depth of the ear 
that drinks in the melodies and ecstatic bliss of 
soul-strung thoughts tuned to sounds that be- 
long to the human ear! Entrancing spirit 
quality of mortal life; ever lovingly whispered 
to child of earth, that God is Father! Oh, 
blessed relationship between earth and heaven ! 

Divine Creator God-thought originates all! 
All, from the solid granite pillars of the worlds 
of universe up and up to God's own throne, at 
the foot-stool of which is the Mercy seat, 
where the fullest notes of soul-thought prayer 
or slight humble trust is heard ! 

God's Creative love and wisdom is nowhere 
forgetful. He forms of atomic matter the cell 
which perfumes and tints the violet, up to 
spirit-ego-soul of man ! All knows the careful, 
tender thought of Creator God. Each plant or 
lowliest sprig of grass up to the tallest tree; 
each "bearing its seed within itself !" So cre- 
ated were the first parents ; sent them out, each 
within itself is loaded with the germanial 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 65 

future stocks, yet He built. He bade all, "be 
fruitful and multiply/' so that the succeeding 
generations of beinghood would continue 
throughout all time. 

Both vegetable and animal beinghood, thus 
made in the "beginning," then God excused His 
Great personality of being to those first 
parents, giving them His impersonality in law. 
Law to ever lead these first parents on in 
self-sustaining plan of a God Created Creature. 

Just as on a first day of school, the loving 
parent will go along with the untrained child ; 
bids him to note the way he must ever after 
tred along; bids him obey all rules of law the 
kind teacher places over him for his own good. 

God created the beinghood, then God cre- 
ated the laws needful to build each beinghood. 
All laws are God-thought extended to meet all 
needs of all created things throughout all time. 
Creation of first parents was fiat of God. Fiat 
of God also created all of nature's laws. All 
these laws of nature are Divine. They are 
God-thought- f orce ; God's involuntary self- 
hood; the impersonality of His great Selfhood. 
As nurses, guides and agents of God, law is to 
fulfill His will Divine! Fiat Divine matter 
goes on its destiny way ; all spirit-minded mat- 
ter does go on, in unfermented nounality, all 
can happy be. Loving Creator made it so. 



66 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

God's crowning work of earth's creations 
was man. To man God gave the key that un- 
locks to earth the gates of heaven. God saw 
all His creations were "good ;" all are happy in 
His manifold gifts of love. Though fully 
happy, to extent they obey His laws and thus 
fulfill their true destiny. 



CHAPTER III. 

SEE HEAVENLY HOSTS — MILLIONS OF SUNS — 
SEE CAUSE 

Created universe did not invent itself; in it- 
self is impotent to take care of itself. All 
created universe seems dependent upon some 
great High force and is governed and cared 
for by law. Law is everywhere prevailing; 
taking care of universe. Law, a loving nurse 
and care-taker ! Law sees after all that is cre- 
ated ; law ever unfailing in its duty ! 

Nor is Law its own Author! Law is not 
mind; law is the offspring mind. No law is 
self originated; but law is in itself a proof of 
pre-existence of mind; law an expression of 
mind; no law can be self-organized or orig- 
inated ! Law is not in itself Force; is not mo- 
tion; does not of itself create. Law is just 
simply the rule, the mode by which force and 
motion act in the Great plan of existence seen 
throughout all universe. Law is God's mind- 
force expressed. 

God-mind created law; calls law to repre- 
sent His Great personality in His involuntary 



68 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

activity-of -mind-thought- force. Law, God's 
impersonity of selfhood; God-thought stereo- 
typed; extended, to meet all needs of all His 
creations throughout all time. 

After the start-off, the "beginning" of 
things, God does not have to remain person- 
ally present with that created thing, for in its 
get-up of beinghood God implanted in it to 
know of and to expect law-ruling in its ever 
after existence beinghood. See its seeds im- 
planted within itself, with the desire to propa- 
gate. See, too, all matter must a center seek ! 
Law teaches all matter what to do throughout 
all time. 

God's personality in Divinity of beinghood 
has higher occupation, so in His omnipotence 
of wisdom, He so created His cruder earth 
creatures as not to at all times need or expect 
His personal attention, but to look to His 
agents, law, as His personally appointed guides 
and nurses to the things of only-earth-time- 
being-hood. 

God reserves His personality free for still 
nobler and higher pleasures. Man made after 
God's similitude — spiritually endowed — has 
every reason, though, to believe that God will, 
at any time, take notice of His spirit-earth- 
child, if that spiritual-earth-child rightly ap- 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 69 

peals to his Father in Heaven. While in all 
purdy earth physicality, law agency seems to 
supply its body needs. 

Law agency, is God still ruling in the con- 
tinuance of creative forces, and in all forces 
are seen expressed in matter ; God ever guiding 
matter, whether in the atom form or whether 
under still more of law in its organizations. 

Divine fiat first calls matter and the organ- 
ization into existence ; then also by Divine fiat 
is matter and its organizations placed under 
law. Divine Master Architect so planned the 
great machinery of universe. The created 
thing in its "beginning" is so made to know 
and obey law; suns made to reflect right, 
planets to revolve around the centre sun. Vege- 
tables and animals clothe these worlds upon 
having in their very first organization "its seed 
within itself," and all created universe recog- 
nizes this God-presence-law-as-a-self-hoodness 
of God. God's self in involuntary ruling. The 
God of universe in impersonality of Being- 
hood. Both physical and super-physical know 
law to be God-omnipotent involuntary self- 
hoodness, guiding and caring for its best good. 

Oh, see loving cause in all creation and 
beinghoods ; Love the foremost attribute from 
God ; the yearning of the soul of the very God 



70 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

of universe! Infinite God Himself enjoys ex- 
istence! He would give to all that all may 
enjoy! Oh, babe of earth, see God through 
His veil of universe ! He soul and creator is ! 
Nor can all the universe be told till God, the 
author, be found! 

But see space ! See matter born into help- 
less space ! "Let there be light. " God-thought 
becoming visible expressed. Atom matter; 
light transmutes, or else all grades of matter 
came to God's first call. 

Desire! Yes, all must be ! God is ! Matter 
comes; matter, too, called to organize. Fiat 
Divine ! Oh, see what Law controls the whirl- 
ing worlds, to become full of joyous life! 
Millions of suns to light them, all the way to 



go 



Cause Divinity! Force, an expression of 
Divine mind in activity — Deity — in God-mind 
existed all these vast hosts that fill the sky ere 
yet one world may be born! Astonishing 
Greatness ! Hosts of physical ego-hoods 
sublime! See suns like batallions of soldiery 
at double-quick span space. Obeisance do all 
make to the grand Officer of the day, for all 
these troops are on review before the all King 
of universe. Yes, Him do all obey ! His law 
is life ! But see, that law is Love! Mind these 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 71 

myriad of circling spheres; see a Divine wis- 
dom's love is there, or how could they exist? 
Serenity-in-supremacy-of -never-ceasing mo- 
tion ! Yet 'mid all these whirling worlds no 
clash, no jar ! All like to military rule. But 
yet the rule of love ! 

No selfishness is known up there. Love 
radiations from All Center, is felt in every 
atom that builds these mighty hosts of glorious 
universe worlds ! Suns and systems of suns in 
perfect harmony exist. Brotherhoods of 
heavenly worlds untainted by one selfish 
thought. So gallantly they make their rounds 
of time and space. 

See the great ruling Center is! What 
millions of suns to reflect grace from God's 
Holy abode of light ! 

See god-laws ruling everywhere. Fiat of 
God since early universe began. What om- 
nicient love hath God in whose mind existed — 
ere yet creation's dawn — the architecture of all 
universal structure, and also the needed laws to 
guide along all beinghood. See sun in harmony 
of revolving globes that fill the sky! As sun 
in the geological developments of earth, appar- 
ently tending to a greater perfection of that 
planet. As seen in the great kingdoms of min- 
eral, vegetable and animal creations. These 



72 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

myriads of creations the adorning complements 
of earth, man sees the Great All- father stoops 
to create, then to provide for the tiniest and 
largest of His creations; "in whose hands is 
the soul of every living thing." 

Oh, see loving All- father, Creator, God ! See 
shining suns dropping from finger tips of the 
Great "I Am ! Eloim !" 

Each planet started out with some specialty 
of identity, is a plant-ego. Ego-divine loves to 
bestow even of His own high attribute of Ego- 
hood. Grand personality is God ! The higher 
the grade of beinghood the more distinctly is 
marked the specialty of identity. Low-grade 
organisms have identity only in its tribe-hood- 
ness. Every little gnat is merely a little com- 
pound atom, as it were, of beinghood. Love, 
not of direct parentage as do organisms of sex- 
hood, not as of sexhood in its specialty, but 
only in a general sense, nor has it sex or spe- 
cialty of nobility. The specialty in these 
graded beinghoods is that it merely takes two 
to perfect the one whole, as it were, a mere ac- 
cidental necessity, as of the right and left 
hands — for egohood lives independently of sex 
principle — each sun is like unto masculinity of 
sex, because of its great power of selfhood in 
eminence strength of light and heat. It being 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 73 

a habit of time to attribute the stronger force 
to masculinity, and the more refined, to fem- 
ininity. No two of any high grade things can 
be, in all, alike. Nor sun, nor galaxy, nor 
familyhood but must have somewhat of spe- 
cialty entering its organization into an ego- 
hood — e'en though an egohood of worlds — a 
physicality of egohood like to the physicality 
of love as seen in the gravitation or attrac- 
tion's laws. A love that knows not of fickle 
change, as mortal man his love doth hold. 

But note supremacy of faithful physicality 
of love in so called matter crude. Even if in 
no organization matter will its centre seek. See 
the atoms crawl to shape to the gloube f amily- 
tude. Go watch a dewdrop as it grows ; see at 
least a harmony of unity in fellowship, which, 
if not love, reminds one of what the mortal 
love should be. 

See the moon revolves around the earth; 
earth revolves around the sun ; suns gather into 
galaxies of brotherhood around still greater 
sun. They all catch reflections brought of this 
mystic passion — may, I say — of soul to love 
some greater soul. 

Grouphoodness is certainly a law of matter, 
hence many solar systems form into galaxies, 
of which see our own galaxy, or "milky way." 



74 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

You can but note this gorgeous belt of sky, so 
milky white, with numerous stars — some 
millions there must be — great specialty of 
light ! Grand solar systems of solar systems ! 
Great clustering congeries of stars. 

Herscels, by earnest study, supposed there 
were of these, distinctly separated, or isolated, 
but two thousand five hundred. Later, others 
have supposed there were four thousand. But 
oh, see the gorgeous beauty of our home milky 
way of galaxy. Doubtless these galaxies are 
ever varying types. Some including immensity 
of solar systems, and some of much lesser 
numbers. Tis said of one system, that two 
immense stars — their families are not yet 
known — alternate by revolving around each 
other. Of our own home galaxy of milky way, 
of which our sun and solar system are a mem- 
ber, all is not yet known. Supposed to have 
in its limits at least eighteen millions of suns. 
A great familyhood of familyhoods. "God's 
glorious suns of the morning which sing on 
the sapphire throne. " 

Was it not Maedler who first called atten- 
tion to orbicular movements of our galaxy 
around some greater centre, supposed to be 
that magnificent star, Alcyone ? 

Some others, reasoning upon the extension 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 75 

of the groupal laws, think still grander groups 
may form ; that these still increased armyhoods 
of suns must know of still greater centre 
grand ! "Lo, these are parts of His ways, but 
how little a portion is heard of Him !" 

Eighteen millions of suns in our milky way. 
Two thousand to four thousand of such 
galaxies — forty-five to seventy-two billions of 
suns! 

Human mind is lame to comprehend what 
seventy-two billions of blazing suns must be! 
What sublimity is this of numerical starry 
hosts ! Such height is too vast to comprehend ! 
Then how can man comprehend of God? What 
is it to realize what the God of Universe must 
be, when it takes seventy-two billions of suns 
to light up the footstool of His throne! 

Solar System. Trying to study the heavenly 
hosts, we found our milky way made up of 
many solar systems. Of these solar systems 
our own may be supposed parallel, in general 
respects, to what other solar systems are. 

As embodying planetory laws our solar sys- 
tem may be supposed an example of the created 
universe of worlds. Our sun itself is said to 
rotate on its axis, as do all the higher grade 
planetary organisms. Each has its specialties 
of beinghood. Each its special length of day ; 



76 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

its own orbitual time to travel around its great 
centre or sun, in its own special road, by its 
own special atmosphere, as also its own size 
and weight. 

Of the 1 Members of the Solar System. Sun, 
the light-giving and ruling member, seems as 
the parent, so to speak. Our sun is thought to 
be twelve hundred times greater in bulk than 
is the earth, and four times as dense. Diam- 
eter of the sun is said to be eight hundred and 
fifty-three thousand miles, while earth's diam- 
eter is but seventy-nine thousand miles. The 
distance of the earth to the sun is about ninety- 
two millions of miles. While really the sun is 
more distant from the earth in summer than 
in winter, being more perpendicular, earth 
receives its rays more fiercely. 

The planet nearest to the sun is Mercury, 
said to receive seven times more light and heat 
from the sun that does the earth, while the 
beautiful planet Venus is but twice as hot as 
the earth, and Mars, just beyond the earth in 
its orbit, is said to receive only one-half as 
much light and heat as does the earth. Jupiter, 
said to be five times further from the sun than 
is the earth, while Saturn, nearly double as 
distant from the earth as Jupiter, gets eighty 
times less heat and light. And Neptune, as far 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 77 

from Mars as Mars is from the sun, sup- 
posedly gets three hundred and sixty times less. 
Yet these planets may all be inhabited by living 
creatures Divinely adapted to the physical en- 
vironments that exist there. 'Tis said that all 
of them move nearly on the same planes, as 
each circles around the sun, and all as wise on 
time as even Great Care-take of all could wish. 
All like unto time keepers, keeping in touch 
with the great central time of sky, all of these 
carrying along its own special atmosphere, its 
belts, its moons, while in this great circling at- 
mosphere of suns familytude, there are also 
many more members all warmed by parent 
sun. Vista, Juno, Ceres and Palas ; who really 
knows if either these four ever wore a one 
same garb, and so loosely joined they fell apart 
and became four? Wily comets flit and go, 
like butterflies of the sky with lacey wing; yet 
wise enough to know somewhat of time — a 
century or so should be allowed — to courtesans 
of vasty sky ! 

Commissioned these caparisoned messen- 
gers; nor should to limits no one galaxy be 
bound ! Yet our solar system claims its share 
of these. And, too, of body planetards, meteors 
and meteorites, also tiny bits of winged scraps 
of galaxy, all float and catch a smile or sun- 



78 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

shine's kiss from planet sun ! Old Captain Sol 
moves on and on, his measured pace of time to 
fill. Happy is he ; so many lives does he make 
bright ! 

All are fed by parent sun, his generous 
warmth and light draws to his magnetic soul 
this circling band. Nor soldiers under martial 
drill e'er know more of perfect harmony, for 
happy sun's fidelity is ever recipocated. And 
with such faithful, homeful drill, this modest 
band of arrayed hosts falls into ranks in the 
grand march of mystic armied hosts who step 
in time to the martial "music of spheres." 
Eighteen million suns ! Our solar system one 
of this mighty f amilytude ! 

But our only one sun is still a gem in the 
diadem on the brow of our fair galaxy of 
milky way, whose rate of travel is said to be 
thirty-three millions of miles a year on a grand 
orbit requiring eighteen hundred years to com- 
plete the round. 

But what is mortal environments of time 
and space to that of such omnipotent thought 
that a thousand years are but as yesterday! 
Centuries but as God's pastime, but as a mo- 
ment's flight ! How can mind of man compre- 
hend such enormity of extended power in cre- 
ation ! What armies of brotherhoods of suns 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 79 

light up the heavenly space and expanse ! Oh, 
brilliant suns, how can you shine throughout 
measureless years of ceaseless time unless God 
be your God, radiating to you these ceaseless 
floods of His life-inspiring, loving peaceful- 
ness! 

In studying the solar system let us try to 
study our own sun. Sun — twelve o'clock 
meridian — stepping out under the dome of sky 
above our heads, we look up to see the glory of 
the noonday sun. But oh, too bright is he; 
such piercing resplendence of noonday light 
appeals to the human eye ! Like unto his 
Master, God, Him in His personality, we see 
not. We see His glorious light radiated and 
know that He is there. Sublime beauty of 
beinghood; what supreme grandeur; Soul- 
inspiring, such beauteous radiance, nor yet can 
we see its source, so awful bright! 

Mirror of God it sure must be, placed to 
reflect from Him solar warmth and life-in- 
spiring light to a light-loving world, man's 
earth abode, and thus to awake in mortal breast 
some glimpse of what Almighty God's im- 
mensity of radiance of beinghood must be ! 

Sun of the noon-day sky on thee we try to 
gaze with fearful eye. Whence came this 
ruling King of day, in raging pomp and blind- 
ing light? 



80 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

O, glorious Monarch of all days, 

Come light our souls — wake us to praise! 

What majesty of power is this — Such planet 

bright — 
Resplendent, never- failing light? 
This never-wearying gorgeous light of day ! 
To guide man on and on through earth's dark, 

shumbling way. 
Glorifying all it lights upon! — 
O, beauteous, brilliant, living sun! — 
Breathing lovingness that all may find 
Sweet essence of light ! — as it were divine ! — 
O, orb of such imperial light ! Planet of ever- 
lasting days, 
Who bade thee give out such glorious rays ? — 
And who but Master Builder God 
Could call into existence grand, 
A star of such beauteous, undimmed light, — 
Could make a sun of this divinest mold ! — 
Only a God can build a sun, 
Only a God hath light to give 
Radiations from His throne divine, 

Sent out for never-ceasing time. — 

God radiates light to ev'ry sun, 

Suns must all worlds wake up with light, 

Must make worlds warm, happy and bright. — 

All the heavenly hosts are lighted up, — 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 81 

God bids all drink at life's sweet cup. 
Gifts of heavenly grace divine 
Sent out 'mid this earth's cares of time, 
That man's soul may grow up to realms 
sublime ! 

Sun seems the very soul of earth, and 
though over ninety millions of miles distant, 
yields to earth an abundance of life-inspiring 
light and warmth. "One hour's sunshine can 
do more to bless the face of the earth than 
what millions of men could do in a whole life- 
time of trial." Twenty trillions of miles be- 
tween our sun and the next blazing star! So 
great is the power of our sun in its gracious 
supply of light and heat, that no equal sun is 
needed to be placed any nearer. 

Sure, all suns seem to be the repositories of 
God's reflected light, warmth and magnetism, 
as is light an element of specialty, high grade 
and nobility, 'mid all other elementary matter, 
so is the sun a planet of specially high grade 
and nobility 'mid all these planets. 

These noble creations, usually spoken of as 
fixed stars, are among the heavenly hosts like 
unto the ganglionic knots of nerves, in man, in 
their official duties 'mid the myriad of spheres 
of sky. 



82 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Man has truly been called an epitome of uni- 
verse. 'Tis said, that of the whole amount of 
light and heat sent out from our sun, that our 
earth would catch only about two thousand 
millionth of it. What passes on, net absorbed 
by tbe earth and the other planets of solar sys- 
tem, thus passes on and on still, these rays of 
our sun, possibly enter into infraturnity of 
brotherhoods ! To also join in the solemn 
services of praise to All-father; Throne of 
Primal light. 

The earth is only one member of the great 
family of solar system. The fourth planet 
from the sun; has its own specialty of ego- 
hood ! No two of sun's planets could be alike, 
yet our earth is a sample of what all other 
planets are supposed to be. Naturally its rela- 
tive position to the sun, the source of light and 
heat, would be supposed to effect climatic con- 
ditions, yet we scarce could know what effect, 
exact, is produced on a planet by its surround- 
ing veil of vapor atmosphere. 

Earth is built in its solid structure of crude 
atomic matter, as are all other worlds thought 
to be. Earth's matter is found to exist in solid 
flint and gaseous states. Its surrounding at- 
mosphere is not supposed to extend much be- 
yond forty miles. Of land and water, it is to 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 83 

be observed that as water is five and one-half 
times lighter than earth, 'tis fortunate that the 
law of equilibrium is counterbalanced by other 
forces, Divine fiat. Were it not for the evolu- 
tionary internal disturbances raising up por- 
tions of solid earth, water might have had 
supremacy. God said, "Let the dry land ap- 
pear/' Geologists have supposed that the mat- 
ter of earth was igneous; was melted rock, 
and that in time the surface cooled, forming a 
cru>st Supposedly a very small portion of 
earth's bulk has thus become solid. Human 
life is too short for man to discover the 
geological history of the formation of the 
earth, by any one man's observation. And de- 
ductive reason is lame to say all we wish to 
know Still, mite by mite, man does gain some 
idea as to the state of the earth's interior, he 
has limited means within his reach. 

Perhaps volcanic eruptions and earthquakes 
were of more frequent occurrence in ages 
passed than in recent years. These are con- 
vulsions of physical matter that man would 
prefer to escape, whatever there may be of 
their possible utility, and man would readily 
resign the melted part of earth's interior to 
the devil, if that monstrosity would stay 'way 
down there! 



84 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Be these vast depths of really unknown con- 
dition at the service of the devil or not, is a 
line of investigation we are not intending to 
fathom — we have no use for devil in our uni- 
verse. Then ample is the surface of the earth. 

No matter how population may increase. 
Did he progress more rapidly in his covering 
its surface — 'tis said to be about fifty-two 
millions of square acres. Man fights over these 
acres more than he plows over them! And 
should he desire very ample building space; 
why, man likes floating palaces — as also air 
castles — we feel no anxious care for earth- 
room. 

'Tis said a man at the equator in going 
'round and 'round every twenty-four hours at 
the rate of 1,000 miles per hour, and in earth's 
obitual line of transit around the sun, at the 
rate of 1,000 miles per minute. Also, in his 
journey with sun's trips in family tude of milky 
way, the rate of travel is thirty-three millions 
of miles per year, but it is expected it will take 
man on this big trip eighteen thousand years 
to get around. 

But man loves travel, whenever he gets a 
conscious pleasure out of it. 

These immense measurements of time and 
space are quite idealistic ! Yet often is "truth 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 85 

stranger than fiction !" A man whose home is 
in the temperate zone gets much of pleasure 
of an enjoyable variety in the four seasons 
that earth favors man with, in her travel 
around the sun. No less is man dependent, for 
his physicality of happiness, upon earth's 
shorter trips around her own axis. These 
commonplace occurrences should, and do af- 
ford man great occasion of the truest gratitude 
to his All-father Creator, in these real pleas- 
ures of animal life! 

Moon. Too, man enjoys the soft moonlight 
of evenings ere yet he gives himself up to re- 
posing sleep. Venus must be a delightful 
home to those who love the fairy moonlight. 
With all the moons, there must be ever some 
pleasing feature in the moon phases over 
there. 

'Tis said that moonlight is bad to taint fish ; 
of course, the sunlight would. Whatever may 
be the effect of the moon upon the odic forces, 
still it seems common experience is asking: 
What is that effect ? And are all constitutions 
affected alike? 

Yes, moon doth love our own dear earth! 
Always keeps its face to mother turned ! And 
even though a child of puny build, 'tis ever 
true to its schedule time, and humble though 
its home track be, it never flies the track ! 



86 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

The moon seems the lonely child of earth; 
we call it earth's one satellite ; fair grandchild 
to the sun. 'Tis true to say as "one-sided as 
the moon/' while to be "as fickle as the moon'' 
can hardly be called true. 

Of Secondary Planets, probably these are 
built up of the residuum of floating chaotic 
matter not drawn into the formation of the 
primary planet, at the moment of spheroida- 
tion. It may possibly be of a higher, or even 
an inferior order and quality of matter, as, 
probably the tails of comets, and the rings or 
belts, more like unto the matter of meteors. 
Perhaps all moons are secondary planet forma- 
tions, and much alike in their functions, what- 
ever these may be. 

Earth First Home of Man. Earth, as man's 
childhood's-home-place, is naturally much en- 
deared to man. What sweet attachments we 
do form here ! While earth seems not all that 
man's highest ideas of perfection pictures, he 
still thinks it will do! While earth is well 
adapted to meet the wants of its living crea- 
tures, still earth seems not a fully-perfected 
planet. 

Perhaps the earth is tending toward perfec- 
tion. Geologists speak of physical changes, 
and a physical perfection may be the ultimate 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 87 

destiny of the planet. Both physically and 
otherwise there seems to be a Divine destiny 
for earth ! 

If or not, other planets of our solar system 
are more perfected, who knows? Man scarcely 
thinks he would like the planet Mercury so 
well ; its arid or steamy wastes of land would 
not suit a pure-water-loving creature, as is a 
man. Nor yet is Venus, Mars or Jupiter any 
more attractive; twice too hot or twice too 
cold. Too much of moonlight, or not enough ; 
or something else that suits man far less than 
does rugged old earth. 

But man would like to know what sort of 
neighbors he has on these, our beautiful sun- 
lighted brother planets ; though this knowledge 
is not as imperative as to know the how to 
better cope with the physical envronments of 
earth ; the planet we now do accept as a home 
place ! 

Earth is good, but who says perfect? For 
earth has scarce its own perfect place within 
itself, but in its progressiveness has its fearful 
storms of its surrounding atmosphere ; its in- 
ternal heavings and uprisings, earthquakes and 
volcanic eruptions; its dearth in deserts, its 
floods, its freezing cold zones, as well as its 
torrid and temperate zones; its malarial dis- 



88 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

eases, that seem to originate from its own 
emanations and foul conditions ; its poisonous 
plants, as well as its useful and Eden-like 
plants; its living creatures, not all docile and 
noble. But hyenas, wolves, cats, snakes, wasps, 
mosquitoes and house-flies, and all the what- 
nots of plague. 

Even its men are far from all being angels ; 
are selfish and unkind — some of these — in 
every possible way. Even those who are try- 
ing to live unselfish, pure and holy lives are 
scarce permitted to be holy. Indeed, 'tis not 
just as man's highest conception of good would 
have it here on earth ! 

No, earth is not a perfect place! Not yet. 
Possibly earth is trying to climb to perfective- 
ness, yet seems to be moving very slowly 
thitherwards. 

But studying the planet as home, man de- 
cides earth will do! He is here! In no hurry 
to move elsewhere ! And the most sensible 
are trying to make good and improve earth's 
opportunities. When men put forth their best 
efforts and unitedly seek to get the best possi- 
ble out of what is in their reach, earth, even, 
seems to suit and help them. 

'Mid all the heavenly hosts earth seems a 
very tiny mite, yet to the living beings on earth 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 89 

it seems mighty big, with its tiresome miles to 
travel over. Tis of the vastest importance as 
to who and what is here ; only our city is a big 
place and of vast importance. Yet the all of 
earth and the all of its revolutions, what is it 
to the vastness of universe ! 

All earthly things change, but the blazonry 
of heaven marches on and on, like the master 
machinist of universe, with no fickle changes 
of time. These burning gems, set in the in- 
finite dome of sky by the builder of worlds, 
maintain their parts of duty just as when the 
first shepherd-boy, David, tended his flocks! 
Arcturns and his sons still solemnly guarding 
and circling the North Pole, as when the 
Almighty carved it out of the whirlwind. The 
sweet influence is still unbound ! The signs 
and seasons are still unnumbered upon the 
glittering belt of Mazzaroth ! 

"The shock of armies nor the thunder of 
cannon's roar has never shaken one single gem 
from the diadem of night. No hostile hand 
can haul the suns of morning from their 
flaming thrones. The calm, unchanging 
heavens looking down upon us in pity and re- 
buke our fears ! What, cannot man trust God ? 
That unseen hand that holds the university of 
worlds in place ; what, can He not provide for 



90 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

man?" Yea, though the whole race of earth- 
man should say there be no God, yet still God 
would not want for subjects to celebrate His 
Glory ! 

Many Sons of the Heavenly Hosts hath he! 
"The heavens declare the glory of God." Was 
it not that philosopher, Thomas Dick, who said 
that "all eternity would be too short a time in 
which to learn all of God's glory as manifested 
in the heavenly hosts" ? 

"By word of the Lord were the heavens 
made and all the hosts of them !" This Master 
machinery of universe but God's "Aura" is! 
The magnitude of God's great universe we try 
to comprehend by getting it before our minds, 
on an extremely reduced scale; just picturing 
it, as it were, a bird's-eye view of a vast pano- 
ramic view which we know is too big to be 
seen by any eye but God's ! Our little earth 
seems to us, oh, so big! Our sun over a 
thousand times larger. Arcturus in his solemn 
marches around the North Pole, sends out, 'tis 
said, five hundred times more light than does 
our noonday sun. Only one of the stars of the 
Pliades is equal in glory to twelve hundred of 
our suns. Orion is bright with his blazonry 
of bands while he climbs the Eastern sky. 
That nebulous star in the "sword of Orion" is 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 91 

said to be a system of worlds, and has been 
flying ten million of miles in a minute for sixty 
thousand years. In the Southern hemisphere, 
detached from our milky way, are seen two 
bright spots called Magelou's clouds. Sir 
John Herscel, with his twenty-foot telescope, 
found these to be — especially the larger group 
— a system of firmaments, combining many 
clusters in one. 

"The double star castors, whose constitu- 
ents revolve around each other; supposed to 
take two hundred and fifty years to make this 
revolution. 

"Gamma," in the constellation of the Vir- 
gin, whose constituents revolve around each 
other, requiring six hundred and twenty-eight 
years. Gamma, of the Lion, whose constitu- 
ents revolve in twelve hundred years. Mizor 
and Alcor, in the tail of the great bear — ac- 
cording to Prof. Michal — would probably 
consume not less than one hundred and ninety 
thousand years in completing a single revolu- 
tion around each other. 

The great system of universe, as a whole, is 
as a grand organ, composing all the sweet 
atoms of love and wisdom, and which, in the 
hands of the organist, the Divine Being in 
which infinite series of atoms of love and wis- 



92 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

dom exist, the very soul and organ of all har- 
mony, capable of sending forth everywhere 
these silent notes of harmony and music which 
have been long perceived, deeply felt, by the 
truly and interiorly developed human soul ! 

Let us try to catch some comprehension of 
the greatness of God in just reflecting that, 
ere yet this vast universe was built, the archi- 
types of machinery of this vast builder of uni- 
verse existed in there entirely, in "The Be- 
ginning," in the mind of the Infinite Being ! 

This vast universe of worlds; the living 
beings that "clothe upon all the worlds," even 
just earth alone, what an immensity of living 
creatures ! Just the race of men that are found 
on the earth, their variety and especially their 
mentality, their every thought known to 
God! Whether all universe was built at one 
divine call of Creator, or whether taken in long 
periods as pleasant pastime, or whether all is 
yet built or not, who can know ? 

Inspiration in the great Jewish Seer enabled 
him to prophesy backwards, and while telling 
it under inspiration, he still told it from the 
Jewish view-point, and many of the modern 
conceptions and misconceptions of that grand 
book of Jewish descent, comes of not under- 
standing this peculiar people. 'Tis the "spirit 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 93 

that giveth life." By noble, scientific researcher 
by any and every possible means, let man learn 
of his Creator, God ! 

"Man casts his eye aloft, so entranced is he ; 
instrument after instrument he wields to en- 
able him to study his All-Father's works. 
Should man sweep the heavens with the 
mightiest telescopes, and look with super- 
human eye and brain all awake 'mid the in- 
finite blaze of hosts of suns on high to, if pos- 
sible, find the grand central sun to which all 
suns, worlds and all creations are magnetically 
drawn by love — even God's love — the soul and 
power of all universe, a still, small voice comes 
to us: "Only in spirit is man to know any- 
what of God !" 

Man in the mortality of coarseness in the 
fiery-like, yet meekly-earth wisdom, "canst 
thou by searching, find out God? Canst thou 
find out the Almighty to perfection ? It is high 
as heaven ! What canst thou do ? Deeper than 
hell ; what canst thou know ?" 



CHAPTER IV. 



MATTER. 



What is Matter? All that is is matter ; uni- 
verse is made of matter. Whatever exists is 
matter. All is matter! As we see it, every 
substance of every kind is matter; whether it 
be the noble substance consisting of spirit 
being-hood, or the substance consisting of rock 
or grossest clay ; we see it all as matter. Every 
substance of whatever grade is matter. Mat- 
ter is more than the physical being can per- 
ceive. Matter is all that can be cognized by 
any and every sense or power of man ! What- 
ever the human mind accepts, as an existence, 
be it organized or unorganized, is matter. If 
any power of mind can cognize it as an exist- 
ence, then it is matter. 

Man's higher reasoning, his reflecting medi- 
tation, esthetic powers ; his faith and spiritual- 
ity ; his higher senses, all fit him for cognizing 
that which is higher and of a more exalted 
nature than is crude earth matter, and the 
animal organisms of mere earth matter. Thence 
seeing, man does cognize substances, and the 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 95 

organizations of substances higher than the 
coarsest crude matter, we know that these 
higher substances and the organisms from 
these substances do exist; so that we call all 
that exists, matter. 'Tis matter in some shape 
or form, grade or degree. But all is matter. 

As we see it, spirit substance is matter; is 
cognized by man, hence we call spirit substance 
and spirit beings matter, just as we call phys- 
ical substances and physical beings matter. We 
mean no irreverence nor any lack of due re- 
spect to the opinions and classifications that 
differ from ours. As we see it, 'tis only a dif- 
ferent way of wording it in our attempts of 
trying to analyze the all of what exists. 

What exists certainly does exist, whatever 
terms are used to express our conceptions of 
that existence does not affect it as an existence. 
All is matter of varying sorts. All is cognized 
in some degree by man, by some of his mind or 
soul powers, and whatever man is able to at 
all cognize, we call matter. Then there seems 
less a myth about the higher grade being-hood ! 

Some of the Properties of Matter. As mat- 
ter is the substance out of which all things are 
built up, then matter is building material. As 
building material, matter is in good shape for 
building uses. Is, as it were, tiny bricks. All 



96 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

matter exists in every minute particles. These 
tiny particles are spoken of as atoms, and 
while 'tis probable that atoms are made up of 
still more minute particles — corpuscles, some- 
times called — yet to say atom is entering min- 
utely enough, as a general rule, into the sub- 
division of this building material, matter. 
Hence all matter is said to be atomic. 

The next most noticeable property of matter 
is, that matter knows. Each tiny particle of 
matter knows. Matter could not obey law if 
every atom did not know. How could the 
grains of sand in the sun dial drop through 
downward if each grain did not know enough 
to obey the law of gravitation? And how 
would the atom of sunlight travel in straight 
lines or direct rays of light, if each atom did 
not know? Or how, in chemical action and 
reaction, if each atom did not know? Sunlight 
is seen yet, but all matter is not visible. The 
effects of the presence of electricity, as also 
heat, may become visible while the subtle prin- 
ciples are not so readily seen. Atom by atom 
heat travels the length of the iron poker, but 
'tis only felt, ere yet 'tis seen. See also the 
atoms that entered into the lightning's flash. 
The sweetest melodies of sound usually are 
heard before they even are seen — embodied in 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 97 

the notes. The atoms of thought existed in- 
visibly before this thought was even seen to 
flash into the eye or flow from the point of a 
pen. 

The thought of man may embody good or 
evil ; the beautiful or the horrible, and in larger 
or smaller degrees, hence we see thought is not 
only measurable, but is also susceptible of vari- 
ous hues or qualities, therefore thought is in- 
visible atoms of matter. 

The invisibility, as also atomicity of matter, 
as represented in the instinct of the dog on 
scenting a track ; or the honey bee, enabling it 
to find water or honey too far distant to be 
found by seeing or smelling, shows us some- 
what of the extremely subtle properties of 
matter. 

That spirituality of soul that teaches the un- 
lettered Indian to look up in trust to the 
"Great Spirit," is but the presence of invisible 
atomic mind-matter of spiritual nature. 

Spirit matter is ever vibrating in the human 
soul; ever longing to be recognized, fed, and 
satisfied by obtaining its legitimate needs. 

Two Distinct Classes of Matter. Of all the 
varying sorts of matter, there are but two dis- 
tinct classes, viz. : Spiritual and Physical. 

Of earth-matter and earth-means of cog- 



98 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

nizing, the physical matter apparently is largely 
in preponderance above spiritual matter, and 
man's power to discern it. Yet since earth's 
measurements consist in earth's standardized 
tables of the physicality of things, who can 
know as to how to judge of what is not the 
physical ? 

Was it not Woudt that said : "All of nature's 
phenomena are not measureable, or how can 
mere physicality measure spirituality?" Man 
as yet seems unable to apply the principles and 
rules of mathematics in the measurements of 
higher matter. Yet we find there something 
akin to weight when we come to closely con- 
sider the mentalities, as also spiritualities of 
men. Man's method of weighing spirit, mind, 
magnetism, electricty — even light and heat — is 
not so well perfected as are his methods of 
weighing salt, sugar or other like matter. But 
all is matter. All by right methods can be 
weighed. 

Of Spirit Matter. Man's knowledge of spir- 
itual things is more limited than it need be. 
Yet spirit-hood is not entirely unknown to 
man; nor why will man regard spirit as a 
myth ? Man knows it does exist ! When once 
we can reconcile ourselves to call spirit-being- 
hood and atomic elements entering into the 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 99 

make-up of these spirit-beinghoods, matter, 
then all seems clear to what spirit value is. 

Water, when in the state of mere humidity 
of the atmosphere, is not so cognizable as is 
water in the ocean's bed. Spirit-matter is even 
less cognizable, only man's very highest nature 
can cognize any what of spirituality. But we 
see existencehood is existencehood, not always 
readily perceived, yet really does exist. By 
spiritual prayer, man feels he has obtained 
spirithood. God radiated to him spirit-essence, 
in spirit thought. Hence, man realizing his 
need for it and getting some taste of this 
gracious soul-food through spirit-effort-of- 
exercise in prayerful thought man in his spirit- 
self realizes he has received soul- food, more or 
less of it; but 'tis more to him sometimes, 
though bodily! 

Spirit consists in spirit-esse. Spirit-mind- 
esses are as really matter as are gold, silver and 
iron matter, and like these — cruder matters — 
are atoms. A larger or smaller number of 
atoms may be asked for and received. Man 
may get a whole breakfast-plate full of spirit- 
esse, spirit-mind-esse, and spirit-life-esse as his 
soul-self needs by asking for them, just as the 
parent of earth would hand the child its rice 
with plenty of milk and sugar, the dishful just 
suited to the hungry child's needs. 



100 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

In the school-room the teacher hands over 
to the earnest student all the knowledge that 
student will receive, the self-willed pupil gets 
less than the deserving, earnest pupil. Spirit- 
growth is attained by asking for and properly 
using the plates of spirit-food the Father Who 
Art in Heaven holds out to man. If you are a 
spiritually-minded man, you know this. If you 
are not, why, make the test for yourself. But 
don't fool yourself ; make a right test, or none 
at all ! Practical chemists know of the proper 
chemical test for physical chemical matter, and 
that only a proper test is worth anything. 

Of Physical Matter, Of the eighty (more 
or less) elements of physical matter that 
readily submit to the analysis of the laboratory, 
all are familiar. Some of these are much rarer 
than others of the analyzable matter of earth. 
Supposing that estimate is sufficiently correct, 
which gives as the proportions, Oxygen one- 
half, Silicem one-fourth, and one-fourth then 
remaining we see embodies those substances 
which are of the every-day and most practical 
constituents of living tissues in all animal as 
well as vegetable organisms. 

So that not so much of the bulk as 'tis the 
special nature of matter that is of any concern. 
Nor is the chemist's inability to analyze all 



UNIVERSE AS Wfc SEE IT 101 

matter of concern. Seeing how little we do 
toward a chemical analysis of some very use- 
ful and every-day-used substances — as light, 
heat, electricity and magnetism, and what of 
power, and the little elements spoken of as 
"Odie forces?" 

But all is matter. All is atomic; all forms 
into some degree of organizations. 

Whence Came All Matter? From great Cre- 
ative mind came all matter. God-thought 
manifested. All that is came from Creative- 
mind. In God's great plan He desired solidity 
and bulk of matter as great shelves or frame- 
work on which to display the delicate and 
beautiful creations. And, too, He wanted this 
building material in plastic shape to build into 
many shapes and existences ; hence made mat- 
ter atomic, a form of building material that 
would meet every exigency of need in con- 
struction of every conceivble thing. 

Is Matter Transmutable? God's beautiful 
nature would naturally radiate light. Light 
He might transmute into oxygen silicon, or 
into any of the eighty ultimate elements of the 
crude earth-matter. Still why need God to 
transmute matter when as readily He could 
call up any sort needed? Yet He first called 
light to exist. Now the electric light seems 



102 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

ready to do all of God's bidding, yet atoms 
might be transmuted. Nor could atoms be de- 
stroyed, only by Divine volition. Hence all 
matter is indestructible. 

All atoms of matter being Divinely orig- 
inated, must, as atoms, ever remain indestruct- 
ible in their atomic identity. Yet variety and 
manifold changes into organizations in 
matter seems pleasing to Divine Idealism in 
Creating identities of beinghood. Electric 
atoms of sunlight seems would be highly capa- 
ble to receive from Divine-mind this attribute 
of the creative nature, of ability to transmute. 
Yet never to annihilate a single atom of what- 
ever sort it may be. 

Matter Is Aspiring. Matter, God-originated 
as it is, seems imbued with aspiration, not only 
loves its existence-hood but seemingly desires 
the highest degree-hood in existence-hood that 
it can attain unto thorough organization. Even 
the lowest grades of matter, in simply obeying 
the law of attraction or gravitation, seems thus 
expressive of a desire for greater size, if it be 
merely the strength of unity ; thus showing an 
affectional nature. Higher grades of matter 
seeks lifehood; seeks a state of conscious 
beinghood; desires ability, through organiza- 
tion, to express mind or intelligence; even 
Spiritually ! 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 103 

Matter Organizes. Matter knows how to 
accept higher states when called upon to be- 
come a constituency of an ego or organism; 
Matter's property of knowing serves useful 
ends. Hence matter exists in the organized as 
well as in the unorganized states. This attri- 
bute or property of matter is a specialty of be- 
stowment upon matter. 

Tis said of matter that "there is no sub- 
stance, organized or unorganized, in which the 
molecular structure is not in a constant state 
of vibration," a tendency toward growth or 
organization, deemed for greater usefulness. 

Thus, seemingly, the very atoms long for a 
community of statehood ; want membership in 
the "body politic/' even if merely just to count 
the mite of its vote there! 

A very low grade of organization may in- 
clude a mere agglomeration merely giving 
shape. A mere combination of particles, of 
like or unlike nature. The mere molecule may 
be called an organization, for even the very 
minutest particle or atom must have some spe- 
cialty of some degree of identity, though not 
amounting to individuality. Identity of being- 
hood may not always include self -conscious- 
ness. In the vegetable we scarce look for self- 
consciousness ; though the sensitive plant, if 



104 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

rudely trod upon, seems conscious of an indig- 
nity ! Many low grade creations of the animal 
kingdom seems scarcely possessed of self-con- 
sciousness. Organisms may embody life-esse 
and mind-esse and still may not, in itself, recog- 
nize itself, or else in very small degree. 

Ego. Ego is a matter on special duty; is 
matter highly organized; is matter in a state 
of selfhood; is matter honored with a servi- 
tude to special beinghood ; is matter exalted to 
a servitude of what pleases the Me! Is matter 
honored with personality, or one's selfhood- 
ness ; is individuality of identity of beinghood, 
or 7-hoodness ; is I-hoodness in varying degrees 
of nobility of organization. 

Ego is the what that knows itself, and in 
knowing itself, to be itself, loves itself and de- 
sires to continue itself. Realizing its own im- 
portance, it naturally retains its own egohood 
to its utmost ability. Indeed, this is a duty 
that each ego has, be that ego of a high or low 
degree, it owes it to its Creator and also to 
itself the duty of maintaining its egohood to 
the best of its ability. Ego is God-given. A 
specialty of beinghood; is a distinctive honor 
conferred by a loving, Being Himself. Per- 
sonality; he honors personality! The higher 
the grade of egohood, or identityhood, the 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 105 

more distinctly marked is its individuality. As 
a general rule, is of a nobler nature ; hence the 
more imperative the duty to maintain these 
God-given personal rights ! 

Ego-being God-given, is God-required. For, 
as a rule, Ego means of noble degree. Hence 
to retain and perfect this special nobility is a 
very privileged duty. 

In the common usage of the word ego, it is 
usually applied to only the genus homo, yet 
this word has something of a special distinc- 
tiveness that has caused our using it in a rather 
unusual way, that of applying it generally to 
organisms; hence, see our multiplied defini- 
tions above. Too, when we say matter is the 
organized beinghood, 'tis well to further say 
that matter is the mere menstrume ; matter the 
shell — very outer shell, too ! 

Ego-esse, like the life-esse, mind-esse and 
spirit-esse, are really undefinable existences. 
Yet they do exist. We cognize their presence or 
absence, yet what the thing is, we all just know 
it, yet cannot find words that satisfactorily de- 
fine it ! These, the perfection of God-bestow- 
ment of egohood on earth and earth matter; 
that part of heaven that God radiates to earth. 
Earth must have some taste of heaven ! 

Life. Naturally we ask: What is life? 



106 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Which awakens the further query: Is not life 
the what that makes ego worth while? 

Organization and life are so intimately inter- 
woven that we can scarce see that life calls up 
organization; both seem equal, as to being- 
hood. We note that the knowing, little mind- 
esse-atoms are ever vibrating, seemingly anx- 
ious and aspiring to higher statehoods. By 
calling also upon the aspiring life-esse-atoms 
— on which the mind must depend — the two 
uniting their energies are very anxiously await- 
ing law to send organization to enable them to 
get into an organism or ego-state. The identity- 
hood of ego and mind seems to await some per- 
ceptible degree of the completion of organiza- 
tion's labors before they will fully unveil their 
faces. Life entity is busy hugging the tiny 
atoms of life-esse, as fast as they reach her all 
wrapped up in the cassing atoms of cruder 
matter of oxygen, nitrogen, etc., which are 
thoroughly interblended and are kindly en- 
veloping the more delicate atoms of life-esse 
and mind-esse. All are interblended in shaping 
the visibility of the being in which the real 
selfness of life, mind and "person," so called, 
now reside. 

Whenever this so called being-person gets 
tired of the sameness or unsatis facto ryness of 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 107 

the present statehood, why, the person-ego, 
perhaps the leading individuality of this so 
called "person," — but the living person some- 
how gets an understanding, or perhaps 'tis a 
misunderstanding with law — flies up and will 
not rightly accept the atoms that organization 
brings in; shuts the ingress door or compels 
law to do it, so that as mind has so little in- 
fluence here, and ego is so tired, life, too, per- 
haps is tired; thus the law carriage is left no 
better thing to do than to fly away, and all the 
"being-personality" summoned, quits the pile 
of atoms that organization had on hand, and 
seeing She is no longer wanted, organization 
herself has to go out with the refused atoms; 
and are asleep until law calls them to awake 
and build some more egoes. 

But what is this personality that embodies 
tfie personal state of combination of life, ego, 
mind, and inner spirit-self, too? This living 
individual, the being man, in his alive-state-of- 
beinghood. Do we not call this state of the 
man, "Life?" This state comes and goes — we 
say life comes and goes — still man asks, "Oh, 
what is life?" We love to see its colors glow, 
but while we look they die !" 

Life seems to be the something that accom- 
panies egos — individuals or living persons. 



108 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Life is God-given to earth. The what that ani- 
mates matter; the what that ego and mind 
likes to abide with. Organization goes along 
with manifestation of life; the orderly, pleas- 
ant and harmonious arrangement of matter, 
into specialty of forms, seems an essential part 
of life, or identityhood of lfe. 

But the subtle essential life-entity, who, pray, 
has ever got it satisfactorily defined? We note 
its presence; its absence. We see its action 
upon atomic matter; but it, itself, what is it? 
'Tis here we know life exists ; so, too, we know 
spirit exists. Spirit and spirit-life belong not 
to the cruder matter, or organisms of earth, 
only the highest organisms — egos — of earth 
can spirit-esse and spirit-ego inhabit! Alas, 
even man may sometimes be so brutalized as to 
press the spirit-egoness out of the animal-self 
of man. 

If spirit-life be vigorous, like animal life, it 
feeds, breathes, prays and realizes of God and 
of our son-ship to the Divine, is the way soul- 
egoness calls spirit-esse to feed and nourish 
the growth of the spirit-hood that can dwell in 
the animal-hood. 

Death. Death is the phenomenon of physical 
matter which rejects the service of atomic mat- 
ter and quits calling for more new atoms. In 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 109 

the phenom of life, the life-organism — like a 
visitor to earth — calls matter to its embrace; 
hugs thence, atom by atom. As fast as an atom 
is hugged by the life-entity, it departs, gets off 
out of the way of the incoming atoms. They 
enter at one door and pass out at the other. 
But the moment the atom is being embraced, 
both the atom — atoms — and the life-self are 
exquisitely happy. On bidding the life-self 
good-bye, the atoms go away somewhat sad- 
dened, but they return home and go to sleep 
till new ego-hood calls them to come up again 
into life-hood and be happified again for its 
brief term of vivified life embrace. 

The life-self is kept vivified and happified 
by the continual ingress of new atoms begging 
to be loved by this happy visitor to earth. So 
life-entity has a nice time all the while. But by- 
and-by life and ego gets tired embracing beau- 
tified earth-matter-atoms, shuts the door on in- 
coming atoms, flies up the ladder to perch at 
some resting place and hide, before again 
taking up this re-enlivening of the atoms of 
physical matter. At the moment that life flew 
through the upper window, to rest from 
hugging the physical matter, all the atoms that 
life was embracing rushed to the outgoing 
door, and this rushing crowd of forsaken 



110 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

atoms is the carcass of the life-person that has 
just flown away. 

No living ego seems willing to remain and 
never weary of enlivening these physical atoms. 
Perhaps if these atoms were not so heavy, life- 
ego might take them off to the life-ego's place. 
But physical atoms cannot be spared from 
earth, they are needed here and must stay here. 

Law — Laws Governing Universe. We like 
to hear and obey law, so let us take law as we 
see it. Law is not strictly an entity; law is 
aspiring of mind. Law is mind-force ex- 
pressed in thought; and ever in waiting to 
guide matter ; rules all matter into every stage 
and degree of existence. This great existence 
mind-force-activity follows up matter; keeps 
it going on as it should till it acquires this 
knowledge-habit of just how to go on, — this 
law-habit, Man, made in the image of God, 
sees the good of law, so makes law himself, 
sometimes, and finds it helpful to him and he 
obeys law. 

The great laws of nature are made by the 
Great Author of nature; are very helpful to 
nature. The laws of nature are inexorable, law 
being only the agent, is itself under law, just 
does what it was appointed to do; requires 
order, method, allows no fickle obedience, or if 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 111 

it did it would be an unworthy agent that could 
not be depended on. So law punishes all dis- 
obedience. Only the Great Author of nature's 
laws can say if a law shall go leniently with 
matter and the organisms of matter. But the 
Author of all laws of universe has a right to 
govern His law-agency. He may see fit occa- 
sion to modify any general law. If He chose 
to still a storm, — "Peace, be still !'" — why not? 
God is God! 

Recapitulation, on Matter. Matter exists; 
is atomic; of two distinct classes; the spiritual 
and the physical. Physical matter was called 
to exist as atoms, and, too, as organization of 
atoms in "The Beginning." 

Then after Almighty-Creator, God had cre- 
ated first parents; investing in each of them 
"its germinal embryonic self-hoodness," — "its 
seed within itself," — God then placed laws of 
nature, in place of personality, to follow up, 
nurse, provide for and in every way to con- 
tinue and to take care of all of physical matter ; 
both in its atomic and its organized state. 

So God's personality was left to engage Him- 
self in spiritual creations, and personally en- 
gaging and providing for those more lovely 
creations of spirituality. Radiating direct from 
His Throne the pure spirit-esse, the spirit-life- 



112 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

esse and the spirit-mind-esse. For in His most 
perfected earth creature,man, He had bestowed 
that Divinity of gift of spirit-egohoodness, 
thus making man in similitude like unto Him- 
self ; bidding man to abide more in the com- 
panionship of his Spirit Father. But gave 
to man an option as to this; gave to man 
self-will, that possibly might become very 
strong in its physicality of earth-growth, pos- 
sibly might dethrone reason and overpower 
the spirituality of ego-hood that God invested 
in man. 

God gave man these earth environments as 
the infancy of His heavenly being-hood ; gave 
man the pleasures of an earth-life-existence 
for a limited period in which to revolve with 
earth-matter. Then the privilege during this 
period of developing his spiritual-hoodness 
also, and of a better home after the round of 
earth-life is made. 

Here on earth physical matter seems, is ap- 
parently, the most abundant of the two classes 
of matter, yet spiritual egoes, and the spiritual - 
esse to feed them, comes down direct from the 
Spirit-Father in such quantities as to fully 
supply — and overflowingly supply — the earth 
needs of spiritual egoes. 

But study this spiritual need of the spiritual- 



tJNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 113 

ego. And do not neglect to study the physical 
matter in which the spiritual matter must be 
emulated for a short term of the earth-man- 
ego-hood. 

All matter exists, first in a state of minute 
particles. We say atoms, though we can but 
suppose these atoms are built up of still smaller 
particles we speak of as corpuscels, yet ordi- 
narily we use the term atoms when it really 
may only be the corpuscely of the atoms. In 
every atom of oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, etc., 
there exists parts of physical-life-esse and 
physical-mind-esse. Either as corpuscle form- 
ing the atom, or hidden atoms, of these higher- 
esses that commingle with the oxygen, carbon, 
etc., the chemist fails to find them, it seems to 
man probable that the higher grade matter 
must enter the atoms too minutely to cognize. 

Also in the atoms of oxygen, etc., that the 
being, man, utilizes ; in which is the physical- 
life and physical-mind esses exist, yet not per- 
ceived in analysis by physical senses, there also 
does enter pure spirit-esse and spirit-life-esse, 
and spirit-mind-esse. These corpuscles do 
enter, possibly between the interstices of all 
cruder atoms. 

In the ego, man, all these are needed in his 
organization to make the perfect man ; here we 



114 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

know that all this high grade matter does exist, 
all the physical-esse and the spirit-esse. Of 
these, Divine-mind builds up the full egohood 
of man. 

The physical matter is all that is needed in 
the construction of physical life-hood, but the 
spirit-life-hood needs, and gets into its con- 
struction, the higher elementary building ma- 
terial for the perfection of earth-being-hood 
that ennoblyfies earth and links earth with 
heaven. 

A spritual-man uses of these spiritual- 
esses, and it in no way interferes with the per- 
fecture of his physical being-hood. Just as 
man may possibly use a great many of phys- 
ical-mind-esse-atoms — be a genius — and still 
use largely enough of the physical-life-esse- 
atoms, and maintain his normal and well built- 
up physique. 

In radiating to earth these super-refined 
spirit-esses, God sends then upon the desire of 
man to receive them. Around the spiritual 
man is an aura, an atmosphere of these spir- 
itual-esses, which is overflowingly provided 
by the Spirit-parent, a full store ever present 
on hand — God giveth freely. "Every one that 
thirsteth, come up to the water of life and 
drink full at the Spiritual fountain of life' 9 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 115 

Brute creations cannot use of these spiritual- 
esses their organizations cannot take hold of 
these fine grades of matter, — as we see it. 

Physical magnetism, with all subtle matter 
pertaining to the "Odic forces," together with 
light, heat and the life-esse and mind-esse, are 
intermediate, in their nature, between the spir- 
itual-esses and the eighty minute elements of 
matter. Yet this intermediate matter is 
strictly physical matter. 

The ether air; magnetism, electricity, light 
and heat, is of a nature not so readily com- 
prehended by man. However, man readily 
finds there is much that seems not cognized so 
readily by his five senses. Of some of the 
mighty elements that man highly prizes, they 
are in small proportion to the bulk of earth 
matter that man has been able to subject to 
chemical analysis. 'Tis said that oxygen con- 
sists of one-half; silicon, one- fourth; of this 
remaining one-fourth, all the remainder of the 
eighty elements exist in much smaller, and in 
varying proportions. Some suppose sea-water 
holds in solution all of physical elements of 
matter. 

Living-being-hood is built up of compara- 
tively but few elements out of the one-fourth 
of the analyzable eighty elements. Carbon, 



116 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

oxygen, hydrogen and nitrogen and other ele- 
ments in much less proportions, are the essen- 
tial constituents of all living tissue, either ani- 
mal or vegetable. Possibly some of these 
eighty elements never enter living tissue, or 
organization. 

Organisms of Living-Beinghood. This 
physical beinghood exists in every group of 
organization. By Divine-fiat, since the "Be- 
ginning," law apparently compels matter to 
shape into organisms. Physical matter can 
shape only into physical organization. Or- 
ganisation is in itself not matter ; it is a Divine 
something investing matter. Under the super- 
vision of law it regulates the atoms of matter; 
calls them into such beauty and systematic 
order, that the subtle forces of life-hood and 
ego-hood (or organization-hood in lower 
grades of organizations) delight to come in 
and caress, as it were, each atom that organ- 
ization introduces. Here organization is not 
exactly the organism so much as the builder- 
mechanic which law calls on to shape the or- 
ganism, or high grade work we call ego, or if 
of very low grade, 'tis more properly called an 
organism. 



CHAPTER V. 



MAN. 



Man: God's crowning work in God's dia- 
dem of universe, is set the jewel, man! What 
were earth without its crowning adornment, 
man! Not even God's great universe were 
completed until He had built some creature, "in 
His own image." Earth man is the link that 
binds earth to heaven! Ego dwells in the 
upper story of man's brain; but what is man? 

Earth, with all its entrancing beauties; its 
stores of wealth; its manifold capabilities and 
harmonious felicities, seems to have been espe- 
cially designed for man. Man the Grand Item 
there. And all earth placed at his feet and 
service ! Man ever seems to hold claims upon 
all universe; all universe being man's, then 
man is an epitome of universe. The what that 
is precious; good, beautiful, or whatever else 
there is in universe, seems semblanced, in- 
cluded, or embodied in man to some extent. 

In this big machinery man is a shining link ; 
nor all else could do so well if the factor, if 
man, were left out in summing up the wealth 



118 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

of God's beautiful universe, — next to the 
angels is God's earth-child, man. 

Man, of Two-Fold Beinghood. As two dis- 
tinct kinds of matter constitute all universe, 
so man is God's specialty of creation in having 
a two-fold beinghood. Spirit-matter and 
physical-matter both enter into the make-up of 
God's crowning work, man. Man is both a 
spiritual being and a physical animal-being. 

Man, Physically Considered. An animal, 
having animal needs and animal nature : yet as 
an animal, man is of the very highest type. In 
his physical organization man is the most per- 
fect of all physical beings. Man, in perfectly 
normal states, successfully copes with all other 
animals; even though some animals are of 
larger size, some few, perhaps, more agile, yet 
on the whole man subdues and overcomes his 
earth brute competitors. Man's higher men- 
tality is his stronghold in overcoming crea- 
tures of greater corporosity. 

Wherein other animals may exceed man, in 
bodily make-up, man is compensated in his 
grace and beauty of personal comeliness. Up- 
right in form, his noble brow towering toward 
the sky indicates man's supremacy of intellect 
above the quadrupeds. Not at all as feet, does 
man use his forefeet. As hands only, useful, 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 119 

beautiful hand! No brute is so gifted with 
these delicate bodily members ; these hands are 
the most graceful, beautiful and serviceable 
bodily parts, so shaped and adapted as to exe- 
cute any conception of thought that may ever 
enter mind of man. What were man's noble 
inventive powers of mind without these agile 
fingers to perfect the mental idea ? 

Passing by the powerful steam engine and 
the delicacy of the tiny watch, let us but think 
of what fingers do in and on musical instru- 
ments ; not only construct the instrument, but, 
as it were, really become part of the substance 
in sending forth the melodies of sound that 
feed the esthetic soul-hood of man and lift 
him from the terrestrial to holy spiritual 
spheres, yet these hands are a part of the 
animal-ego, and also becoming active in his 
spiritual-ego. What a superb creature is man ! 
Man, with soul-lit eyes; his noble gift of 
language not only enabling him to communi- 
cate his thoughts to fellow-man, but in tuneful 
song to emulate angels in heart- felt notes to 
God. 

Still, Man is an Animal. Notwithstanding 
man's superiority above brute animals, in his 
grace and comeliness; with massive brain; 
heaven-lit eyes; his endowment of languages 



120 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

and attributes of higher grade mentality — even 
in possessing spiritual-beinghood — still is man 
an animal, and like all earth animals, is re- 
quired to meet the demands of his physical 
being-hood. 

Note the Body-hood of Man. Ere yet he 
more than breathes of earth's open vital air, 
he is found nuzzling mother's breast; — life- 
giving provision bottled up for the babe — how 
know the baby lisps its needs at so early a 
moment ? 

But animal life is persistent in its demands. 
'Tis amusing to see him try, and insist upon his 
self -known rights. Now see him asleep; and 
then awake, yawn and stretch his growing 
body, and simply demand more food. Ere yet 
his eyes were open he listens for the parent's 
voice ; soon tries to look up to its parent's face 
— knows his own parent — ere while he peers 
around to catch the light, — light, the dearest 
thing to earth — and baby though he be, he 
makes great effort to get all the light he may. 
He would grasp light as a precious need. Now 
see him fidget and grow; soon he is straining 
to get around. Possibly he'll try on his all 
fours, for get around he wills to do! But 
although a tiny baby, he knows he is no brute; 
for soon he rises to his feet. Yes, upright 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 121 

would he go; his brow uplifted; his eye up- 
turned, — a man is he, of noble type of animals. 

Yet listen ! Hear, he tries to talk ; and, ere 
long, the man has printed down his thoughts ! 
Man's noblest thoughts should never die. But 
man's bodily wants, how busy they do keep 
him. 

Man is More Than an Animal. Man finds 
his animal-selfness in all absorbing his time 
and energies, rarely admitting of playful hours 
of amusements and time, even for such mental- 
culture as is attractive to his higher nature, so 
imperative are his animal wants! Yet, still 
has man discovered himself to be something 
beyond what he finds in other living animals as 
are around him; finds his native intelligence 
far exceeds that of brute animals; finds him- 
self reasoning as to the causes of the beautiful 
and the mysterious everywhere in nature pre- 
sented to his perception. 

Naturally he reflects, meditates; feels God 
in all nature expressed ; struggles to get nearer 
to this lovable God so told of by nature; be- 
lieves his own destiny is interwoven somehow 
with this Creator of all universe. Man reasons, 
questions all universe to tell him of God ; ques- 
tions his own soul as to God; his innate-self 
joins into reason's call, as to the verity of God ! 



122 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 



'Tis a perverted man that is an infidel ; a 
man who has the upper windows of his brain 
shut and who can see only through the lower, 
baser, or lower animal windows of his mind. 
Only such is infidel ! , 

Hozv Very Composite is Man! Carefully 
and wonderfully made ; only a little particle of 
Life-Eternal in man ! "Vital spark of heavenly 
flame." Will the child of earth realize that 
while he is an animal, he is more than animal ? 
Perfected more than all earth animals; per- 
fected in his animal body; perfected in his 
mind-ego-self ; perfected in being adorned with 
that Creator-Father-bestowed jewel of a price- 
less soul ! This is man ! God's earth child ! 
Complicate, indeed, is man! Also, man yet 
knows not himself. Oh, truly difficult it is! 
Mind, soul, body; all these; all interblended ; 
all so ingeniously interwoven! Earth-ele- 
mentary matter; spirit-immortal matter; mat- 
ter organized ! Go and study the mysteries of 
Nature as found in the actions and reactions of 
chemical matter; go and further study the 
more subtle mysteries of living-nature's labor- 
atory ; mysteries of organization ! 

The very crystalization is what makes the 
diamond, is it not? Then this composite or- 
ganization of the God's-child man, combining 



UNIVERSE AS WH SEE IT 123 

earth-matter, of so many grades, blended into 
earth complications! See also the heavenly 
seasoning of soul-esses are to be rightfully and 
plentifully blended into man! Man, God- 
given-part to adorn vast numberless worlds ! 

Yes, epitome of universe they say man is! 
Perhaps 'tis true, but man, see man ! 'Tis 
much to know just what man is. Enigma to 
himself is this creature, man ; made up of ex- 
actly what? A grain of spirituality — two 
grains, mayhap — and the rest of him is what? 
We will simply call the balance clay. Yes, clay 
electrified by Divine touch ! Clay mysteriously 
woven into a thing of beauty ; a thing so mys- 
teriously planned, shapened, constructed, that 
the study into the intricacies of this machinery 
of man puzzles the wisest intellects of earth. 

Perfectly and wonderfully made ! "Harp of 
a thousand strings," sometimes well tuned, 
sometimes quite discordant is. Go "know thy- 
self/' man said to man ; but alas ! we ask How? 
How know myself? Too close is man to him- 
self to see himself. Only as he chances to 
mirror himself by looking at his neighbor can 
he catch any glimpse of himself. Distorted, 
then, these glimpses are ; indeed, how can man 
know himself? 'Tis a task too great for 
mortal ken! 



124 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Yet this man's task he first must do; then, to 
try to know his God! To see one's self! — 
What, see one's self? Not so is built the human 
eye, till man his eye shall invert; turn it in 
upon himself, for verily himself the man must 
see! Man dreads to turn his searching eyes 
upon himself; man only sees his neighbor; 
neighbor he sees man. We all do but the best 
we can, nor angels, could the angels ere do 
more. 

Man is Divine could he but see it so. God's 
reflections around him, to give higher light, 
shows man all the way to go. 

But here on earth man seems, yes, seems, 
just an animal; to eat, sleep, then play awhile, 
and then work. Yes, mostly he toils away the 
days of his earth-time, his ambition even then 
not satisfied. This ambition; how can the mor- 
tal man escape it? Man is made to climb, to 
climb ; yet, oh, so blindly one-half the time ; so 
blind is man he cannot see which way to go; 
yet move on he must ! He cannot be still ! On, 
on his life, ever on ! On, like the ceaseless sea, 
sometimes in happy, placid moods ; sometimes 
on fearful, stormy moods! But on and on; 
and no release, but on! Then by-and-by the 
journey ends; there is then rest! Oh, when; 
oh, where ? 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 125 

On earth an animal ; yes, made of clay, car- 
bon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. Poor 
earthy animal of earth ! Too, needs such finery 
of clothes and palatial homes ! Oh, what can 
earth give but man must have ! Yet love is all 
he wants; for this he almost starves, some- 
times; sometimes, alas, not even human love 
he gets, till by-and-by God, in pity, shakes him 
up and sheds upon his soul the spirit's light 
and heavenly love. 

Yet, poor man, so often he seems mere ani- 
mal, he loves to fight like horned beings that 
fight and push to see which beast is the 
strongest; gets for himself the best of all that 
is, — Mortal man ! 

Yes, an animal ; its "seed within itself." Fiat 
Divine ; so made is man, like any other animal. 
Some pleasure and some sorrow, too, this man 
animal here finds on earth. When, when wise ! 
Did ever man know what "wise" was? Yet 
still, if but a little wise he finds some joys right 
here on earth ; earth a rich pasture is to man ! 
Man likes old earth right well in no hurry to 
pass out, yet he hurries on, though rarely does 
he want to quit his stay on earth, unless he be 
some crazy crank that cuts life's silver cord ! 

Man dearly loves this blessed earth; yet 
sometimes dreams of fairer fields. Man thinks 



126 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

he knows there is a fairer, purer home than 
earth ! Where no storms ever come ; no sick- 
ness, pain or death! Where no wild beasts 
lurk in lonely woods; no serpents hide in the 
violet beds ; no untrue friends are at his side ; 
no unkind word is ever said ; no aching brow, 
no bleeding heart ! Alas, when will man find 
that land where sorrow never comes ? 

But see this man; this earth-born man; an 
earth-born animal. Go study man, go see him 
through and through. 

Man is Quite Composite in His Build. In 
the brute, man finds a living creature of animal 
matter unlike to vegetable growth, yet of a 
growth still more complicate and noble grade 
of living organism; graded higher, possessing 
locomotive power, able, also, to express itself 
enough to be understood by its fellows; a 
power somewhat akin to man's gift of lan- 
guages though inferior to man's clear-spoken 
words, and the intelligence of brutes, grades it 
as intermediate between man and vegetable 
beinghood. 

Brutes possessing somewhat degrees of in- 
telligence ! But man, studying brute animals, 
feels himself at a lofty height above the poor 
brutes; seeing even his physicality is of more 
perfect and delicate structure, for man is beau- 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 127 

tiful in proportions, position and refinements. 
Then the brute's intelligence, while perfected 
enough as to instinct, what is this instinct to 
man's powers of deductive reasoning, etc.? 
Man's appreciation of the glorious beauties and 
loveliness in nature, ever changing beauties 
passing his eyes ! The poor brute seems denied 
of these esthetic delights which man's suscepti- 
bilities and keenly perceptive powers bestow 
upon him. 

But oh, the gift of soul ! The spirit nature 
lifting man up above this sphere ! Man, a child 
of his Father-God. Too, with the gift of lan- 
guage to tell of God ! 

Man, of Spirit-Soul, Mind and Body. A 
body of upright build ; brain the noble part of 
man uplifted toward the sky ! Balancing him- 
self on two feet as though that brain could 
defy all of gravitation's or equilibrium's 
forces ! Two hands — no animal has these deli- 
cate hands, not even independent of all fours — 
in image of God, man stands alone, the crown- 
ing work of universe ! And not only with elo- 
quence of tongue, but he can transmit that elo- 
quence to material shapes, to save it, ere it 
should be lost. 

Mind, Soul, Body! This is man ! But what 
is mind? What is thought? Yes, these are 



128 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

matter! Of matter built. Mind sends the 
message on the wires ; mind built the thought 
ere yet it fly through space, even by wireless 
telegraphy! And still again, mental messages 
that go from soul to soul ; yes, atom by atom 
each message went. Atom by atom each 
thought is built; atom by atom each word is 
told; atom by atom each cell is built and re- 
built; holds the body still alive. The body of 
atoms — matter — is visible. The mind and 
thought atoms are still less seen than are the 
electric atoms of the air. To analyze to visi- 
bility, man need not do, to know they exist; 
and, too, independent of time and space ! 

What Measures Mind and Thought. And 
do we not measure these? Perhaps not well, 
yet measure mentally we have to do, for 
thought must know its sister thought? They 
all so helpful are ! While some are black and 
some are white, and some that are the loveliest 
hue. All are built of atoms; hence all are 
matter. A mere animal thought is built of ani- 
mal matter. The spiritual may indwell and 
harmonize with the physical, yet the spiritual 
can exist independently of the physical. Ani- 
mal-mind-esse-atoms possibly may, when 
necessary, be transmuted to spiritual states of 
existence; spiritual-esses and spiritual organ- 
isms are super-refined matter. 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 129 

Are Thoughts Matter? Our youngest child 
may ask: "Father, what are all these books ?" 
Thought is expressed in words, words trans- 
ferred to books ; ideas made visibly expressed. 
Then thought becomes audibly and visibly ex- 
pressed; call it transferring, transmuting or 
whatever else suits best, 'tis but activity or 
mind ; mind-esse shaped to thoughts. Thoughts, 
like winged-egos, may take flight, unseen, un- 
heard. Whether they die or not, who knows 
where they may reside ? But if of earth atoms, 
still on earth they must stay. But if of a per- 
fect spirit build they will find room to live 
always ! 

Thoughts Are Living Entities. What is it of 
earth that does live? Sure there must be 
space for every spiritual and holy thought! If 
the ego of thought gets built like some cranky 
old one-sided house, then 'tis built of crude 
earth matter, then that cranky thought should 
be lost and the atoms ever more should sleep 
and let other atoms come to the front ! 

"Sweet thoughts can never die, 
Cherished and blest !" 

As we see it, crude earth atoms are not so 
exalted in their nature as to desire eternality 



130 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

of any one ego-hood or organism, but prefer 
to revolve, hence low grade egoes, be it a 
thought or a worm. If coarsely built, and built 
of crude, coarse matter, 'tis law that the crude 
matter organism be lost! Be it a mean, low 
grade man, or his mean, low grade thoughts. 
'Tis sad to lose one's identity — 'tis hell, the 
death of hell, as we see it. Were I that poor 
lost organism, I then would seek reincarnation 
and grow into an apple for some more God-like 
man to eat and lift me up to higher life. 

All atoms of matter should be built into the 
holiest grade of ego-hood that is possible by 
the most earnest efforts of nature ! Man has 
self-will, knows how to build himself up to 
stages still advancing to nobler and still nobler 
grades, God holding out to him all the spirit- 
esse he could use Let us try hard to get of it 
whether we like the task or not. If a man will 
not lose himself, he cannot be lost! 

What Are Thoughts? Please, you, tell it 
better if you know; we tell it as we see it. 
Mind and thought are not exactly synonymous, 
yet both are things. Thoughts are the little 
buns that mind is ever fixing up and sending 
out. Sometimes these little buns are very good, 
should be properly taken in and well digested. 
Sometimes they float on empty air, yet do no 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 131 

actual harm. Mayhap, again, they are not 
mixed right, some very bad ingredient gets in 
the wrong place, somehow, and the buns are 
not all right. These should be lost. Plenty of 
buns are not even made fit for hogs to eat; 
alas, some buns make hogs of men. Had these 
same lads been fed with the best of buns they 
would have been noble men. 

'Tis Man; his mind, his thoughts, we are 
trying to analyze. May God forbid that any 
man should use a bun of ours if made unfit to 
prove a blessing to his soul ! Friend, if we see 
it a way that suits you, — possibly we may not 
always see it aright — we beg you to see right, 
for the light that God is willing to give us, 
could we but seek aright ! God holds out soul- 
food to every man ; let us go to Him ! He will 
not let us then be lost ! 

Mind, Builder of Thought. Thought radi- 
ates from mind, atom by atom, sometimes so 
hurriedly that the atoms of thought get too 
tangled to call it even raw bun, but only a part 
of the mixture. 

Sometimes these atoms are like talking in 
one's sleep. Pity that we cannot always think 
right and talk right ! To think right the ma- 
chinery of mind must be in right order. But 
how are we to keep mind right? Oh, would 



132 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 



that this man always could ! Soul, with reason, 
should guide the mind; perfect normality of 
conditions are absolutely necessary and at all 
times to get the perfect thoughts. 'Tis so often 
that minds get poisoned, as it were, or cranky, 
or sick, or crazed. So many influences come 
to bear. Sometimes a mind is not originally 
well-balanced, yet still, environments come in 
to rescue and to yet build it into a state of 
harmony, and these may do as much good to 
the world as do some that were originally 
happily balanced, when yet some unhappy en- 
vironment upset it almost. 

How sad, indeed, when a poorly-balanced 
mind is under environments that but further 
crank it. Only God feels for these, some- 
times ! These unfortunates sure do need 
Jesus-Saviour, if only they are able to accept 
Him. 

What is Mind? Is not mind a Divine be- 
stowment upon earth? Like life, what is this 
thing that inhabits organisms ? 'Tis not a man 
organization of brain-nerve, 'tis the something 
that comes in and dwells in this brain. Mind 
is matter, as we see it, dwelling in a cruder 
matter; an organism dwelling in a cruder 
organism. 

There are many grades and degrees of mind, 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 133 

in physicality, but as we have said before, the 
two different and distinct classes of matter are 
spiritual matter and physical matter, so it fol- 
lows that there are two distinct classes of mind ; 
spiritual-mind and physical mind. 

The spiritual mind indwelling in the physical 
mind, harmonizing and beautfying the physical 
mind, yet not dependent upon it. Physical 
mind is a gracious gift to earth, especially 
where it is a high grade mind in a high grade, 
healthy man. But spirit mind is a noble sister, 
noble spirit-ego-self, whch has pure spirit 
mind. Pure germ of mind cell ! 

Through the physical mind is fed the spirit 
mind of man, and still within the spirit-soul it, 
too, is fed through spirit-mind. The spirit- 
esse-atoms within the spirit mind within the 
physical brain nerve-atoms together dwell, 
therefore the physicability of man's spirit- 
mind-hood. 

Recapitulation on Man. Man, an organism 
of matter ; a high grade organism, an ego, yet 
constructed of matter of two distinct classes. 
Man is built of both classes; physical matter 
adapting him to physical earth-life; spritual 
matter adapting him to a higher life than can 
be enjoyed by organisms built of only physical 
matter. 



134 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

God's crowning work is man ; man is the 
only earth creature built in God's image, — "In 
His own image made He them." God, after 
constructing man's body, "breathed into man's 
nostrils the breath of life," — Spirit-life — and 
man became a living soul ! 

Merely a living animal until God's special 
bestowment of Living Breath ; a breath of spir- 
itual life; hence, Everlasting Life! This life- 
esse that God breathed into the nostrils of the 
man-animal did not kill man as an animal; 
man was, by this special act of creation, made 
into a compounded being; a highly special 
honored creature, God's crowning work. 

In all other of God's creations He used in 
their constructions only physical elementary 
atoms. The physical atoms of matter are so 
built that spiritual atoms may be interblended 
among the physical, and still harmonize. 

Chemical analysis has not been able to reveal 
the presence of spirit-esse atoms no more than 
it has been able to single out life-esse atoms 
from the atoms of carbon or atoms of oxygen ; 
the atoms of heat, light, electricity, magnetism ; 
nor the atoms of mind-esse. The higher ele- 
ments do not, like the eighty courser elements, 
submit to chemical demonstration ; all are not 
alike measured ; all are not seen, smelt, tasted 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 135 

or cognized in their atomic existence. The 
standards by which man measures out charcoal 
would not do for the measurement of dia- 
monds ; much less to measure the spirit matter. 

We have no controversy with those who see 
differently from what we do. As to whether 
all is spirit, or all is matter is a play of words 
rather than otherwise. What exists, does exist! 
Call these existences by whatever name we 
may, the nature of the existence is unchanged. 
When we call all that exists, matter, we better 
comprehend the what we talk on, and we beg 
to say we reverence the All-wise living Cre- 
ator for making spirit-esse in atomic form; 
then if we cannot take in a mountain of spirit, 
we may at least get a few spirit sparks ! These 
sparks made up of atoms. God radiates these 
atoms as freely to the spirit-ego as he does the 
oxygen atoms to the physical-ego. We 
breathe in oxygen atom by atom ; atom by atom 
it is absorbed in the cell of all living tissue, be 
that living tissue the ego of the spiritual organ- 
ism or the ego of the physical organism. 

Reverently, we say all is matter ! All cre- 
ated in atomic form; all organization is made 
up of minor parts. From what we know of 
vegetable, or also of animal organisms, the 
cells of all the varying tissues are built of 



136 



UNIVERSE A5 WE SEE IT 



atoms ; atoms of varying kinds. Xot only the 
atoms of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxy- 
gen, but the life and mind principle also are 
taken into the organism atom by atom, and in 
the being, man. the spirit principle, too. is taken 
into the organism atom by atom. 

While one man consumes a very small 
amount of food, another uses a very large 
quantity*. All may not be digested that is swal- 
lowed, but the more that is digested, the more 
is the beinghood of the ego built up. One may 
breathe in large quantities of the vital oxygen, 
another pallid ego may half starve himself far 
oxygen by not actively breathing. How won- 
derful is life — a mystery, indeed! The phys- 
ical life is a grand mystery; what must the 
spiritul life be? That which is cognized by 
man's fine physical senses is the most that en- 
gages his thought. Man is not so well posted 
here as he would be did it not seem neces 
to spend nearly all his time to get something 
to eat and to wear. The balance of his time he 
is keeping; little time does he find that he can 
spare to gratify his esthetic and spiritual 
cravings. This little time is mostly given to 
mere animal pastime suggested by his animal 
propensities, while really, if man but milled it 
so, he could spare an hour each day in which 



UNIVERSE A5 WE SEE IT 137 

to deeply meditate, philosophize and reason as 
to his true beinghood, and hew to render his 
life truly worth living ! But rather, is he heed- 
yet sometimes his soul-cravings are im- 
perative enough to make him give a little time 
to religion. Even then he looks to some other 
man to study out all spiritual problems. 'Tis 
unfortunate that people do not more appeal to 
the innate soul-hood of their being for spiritual 
light ! As he passes through the fields and 
along the roadside, many beautiful lesson- oi 
God's love are ever presented before his eyes. 
would he but see them ! And man really wishes 
to see. He truly wants to know; wants to 
know all! Man wants to know all universe: 
man wants to know the Author of universe, 
yet man of earth is of the earth, earthly; man 
is animal life, and man must see from a man 
viewpoint. How else can he see? All else 
seemingly is built for man; man is served by 
all; all stands out before him to give him pleas- 
ure ; all bids him reach out to it ; accept it ; par- 
take of it; use it! 7:s His, all that he can 
command ! 

hat is withheld from man? What is too 
good for man? Put forth thy energy and take 
it ! All seems to invite you to use it if you can 
take it ! 



138 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

May Man Put Up Claims to All He Can 
Reach ? Earth seems well suited to animal 
life and wants, though a sphere where imper- 
fections — are duly apparent, at least — are to be 
perceived by man — as a critic. Still, 'tis a dear 
home where man loves to stay. Man takes in 
the surpassing beauties of nature spread out 
all around him ; soft tints of green so grateful 
to the eye ; the yielding bough where birds of 
song and gaudy plumage pass many a joyous 
hour 'mid nature's charms, their carols of song 
in chorus sweet fill man's ear with the soul 
language belonging to the earth and breathed 
out by songsters. These sweet melodies that 
seem almost divine when thus taken in by man 
as he lounges on the grassy mound with no 
effort on his part to render skillful music, only 
to enjoy the blissful moments thus spent. Yea, 
bird to man a teacher is, as its throat swells 
in praise to God! 

Oh, butterflies and humming birds, no tire- 
some task is theirs while breathing in the 
floweret's soul, as it exhales its fragrance on 
the passing breeze. 'Tis soul fulness of fra- 
grance sweet, if not itself divine; it still seems 
in voiceful prayer calling upon us to thank and 
glorify our Heavenly Father for the varied 
manifestations of His love to this planet earth ; 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 139 

a home man so enjoys. Free light, not only to 
aid man in his labors, but it floods intensely all 
the beauteous charms of nature ! Then, sooth- 
ing night gently comes on, softly enticing man 
to yield his worried body to soothing sleep and 
blissful rest, while gentle dews and grateful 
flowers, and the alternations of seasons en- 
ticing man to more happy be ! 

Oh, "Home, sweet home !" Oh, friends so 
dear ! What sweet attachments man does have 
here ! Oh, earth, why have you partings ? Why 
sorrows and shadows, as well as joys and 
brightness mixed in with earth's sweet blissful- 
ness? Could not created man grow into a 
higher life and true development without such 
ever-changing experiences? Or does soul- 
growth need these to drill its eyes upward to 
its spirit-Father, God, to, by contrast, teach 
man to himself try to cultivate the only good 
and beautiful. Oh, earth, oh, earth, you are 
so beautiful ! All nature so rich in glorious 
truths, truths ever speaking to our souls, teach- 
ing man to search for God ! 

See the grandeur of the mountains, and their 
scenery, whose summits point us to the sky. 
Broad rivers of silvery beauty, with cataracts 
of fitful flow, yet on and on go the ceaseless 
waters; on and on to bosom of old ocean 



140 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

grand ! Nor earth nor sea but full of living 
things, all bent upon enjoyment of its being- 
hood. Beautiful groves and mighty forests of 
trees that yield sweet shade to man and beast 
while balmy breezes wave their boughs. All 
nature bids the mortal to see Loving Cause! 
Nor aught of earth can dare to say : We know 
no God ! 

Oh, man, noblest being of earth, do you 
realize what binds earth to heaven ? That vast 
universe needs you to complete its full com- 
plement of perfection! Man, child of God! 
Man, heir to earth and heaven ! Man, a being 
akin to the Infinite ! Man, see God, enjoy His 
manifold gifts! Free light, free air, free 
water; nature and nature's God at your feet 
and service ! Man, can you ask more ? 



CHAPER VI. 

EVIL IS WHATf 

The human mind is so built that it has con- 
ceptions of what it deems a state of perfec- 
tion. It establishes standards of good; stan- 
dards of rectitude of duty; any falling short of 
these standards is unsatisfactory to the human 
mind. All flagrant violations of these estab- 
lished standards, is called Evil. As guides and 
aids to maintain goodness, perfection laws are 
set up to keep good and perfected states. Any 
violation of these laws is called Sin. Sin is not 
always irretrievable, but there is always a pun- 
ishment for sin; hence, redemption is needed. 
Before redemption, repentance. 

To creatures having no conception of good- 
ness or of perfections, no consciousness of sin 
is known. Man's mind is made up of faculties 
that apparently belong to the special service of 
his mere animal and bodily wants, and also 
faculties which belong to his higher and spir- 
itual wants. There are also intermediate fac- 
ulties that are at times subservient to either 
spiritual or physical wants. 



142 "UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

Reason, will, and the perceptive faculties be- 
long to this class. The esthetic faculties seem 
more to serve the spiritual nature of man; the 
domestic faculties seem more to serve man's 
animal nature. Friendship, and the higher 
social faculties, seem, like reason and percep- 
tion, to be equally serviceable to the spiritual 
or physical needs of man. All of these special 
qualities and faculties of mind seem to be won- 
derously interwoven and reciprocally required 
in the make-up of the whole of the creature, 
man. 

All the lower grade faculties of animality, 
called propensities, are the same as in animal 
beinghood; varying to meet the needs of the 
varying degrees of organisms. But the coarse 
animality of nature is really as coarse in man 
as in brute creations, only as it is toned down 
by reason, spirituality and esthetic nature, 
which greatly modifies the animal propensities. 

All these faculties that make up the what of 
man are to be compared to the natures that 
make up the what of the world. Each has its 
personal interests. When all these interests so 
harmonize that the rights of none are intruded 
upon, then there is peace. 

Yet some natures seem to be intrusive upon 
other natures; this, tending to inharmonize, 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 143 

apparently is an evil. Usually the most power- 
ful nations hold the less powerful in some 
degree of subordination. 'Tis well if the ruling 
nation is of the nobler degree; if the nobler 
faculties — the do-as-you-would-be-done-by fac- 
ulties — ruled, why then, we think, we would 
hear less of a "devil," see less of evil. 

Throughout all nature, to attain to the 
highest grade and good, as well as greatest per- 
fection, seems to be the innate aspiration. 
Really, it seems to be the ultimatum ! As man 
sees it, earth itself, while very good, still is not 
perfected to man's conceptions of perfection; 
still it seems progressive. Everywhere before 
us we have the suggestion to seek the highest 
we can reach ! To overcome evil with good ; 
take hold of the crude, polish and beautify it; 
take of the atoms and build the beautiful struc- 
ture, so built as to leave out evil and darkness. 
As we see it, this is the great object lesson be- 
fore us. God created light; light displaces 
darkness. We need more light, we need more 
good. Striving, laboring earnestly for these, 
seems a means of overcoming evil with good ! 
To do, to accomplish; to bring beauty out of 
chaos, is Godlike'! 

What is Evil? What is Devil? What is 
Hell? We are very far from wishing to beggar 



144 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

this question of evil. We wish to fathom it. 
If there is a certain locality of hell, we would 
deem it a privilege to get a round trip ticket 
there and back, that we may thoroughly ex- 
plore it. What is its extent? What sort of 
material is it built of? Are its foundations 
well laid? Where is a need of such a struc- 
ture? In what does such necessity originate? 
Does man's mind or his body originate a need 
of hell? 

We have no craving whatever for hell; 
really do not think we can find it. But the 
desire to know makes us wish to investigate it; 
just out of pity to serving mortality, we wish 
to unbuild Hell I 

All we really know of hell is when our pro- 
pensities get up warfare in the mind ; dethrone 
reason and choke down the spiritual faculties. 
We have had sufficient taste of this to conclude 
that this is the very worst hell that could exist. 
Building our own hell as journeying through 
life is enough hell ! We do not see that brim- 
stone, fire and smoke could render it any more 
unendurable. As to an "everlasting punish- 
ment in hell/' this bears the mistake on the very 
front of it, for such suffering could not be 
"everlasting," indeed ! 

Remember we are trying to measure hell to 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 145 

its very depths ! We cannot accept the idea of 
hell, as usually presented. But we are longing 
to clearly make out the formula as to how to 
cure the presence of hell in the human ego. 
From our study of it, we surely prescribe pre- 
ventive methods, which happily are not out of 
reach. 

Devil. While we really think it impolite to 
introduce such words as hell and devil into our 
ordinary conversations, still now we are out on 
our exploring expedition and we must thor- 
oughly investigate. If devil be the skeleton of 
some wild beast, or ghost of some raving 
maniac, or whatever devil really is, we have, so 
far, missed seeing him. 'Tis our desire and in- 
tention to follow that seemingly very practical 
suggestion, "resist the devil and he will flee 
from you." 

Even if devil be a real entity we do not care 
to get acquainted with him. Really, we cannot 
understand devil to have any personality, nor 
any real identity-hood further than that we 
find in us, whenever our lower faculties de- 
thorne the higher faculties, or war to do so. 

Evil. Having conceptions and standards of 
good and perfection, we cannot deny that there 
is evil ! The absence of light is darkness. And 
so what is not good is evil. This planet earth 



146 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

is not free from evil; we note two distinct 
kinds of evil, viz. : Evil that man seems unable 
to prevent, and evil that it seems we could pre- 
vent. 

Of Evil We Cannot Prevent: Such as 
storms, earthquakes, fires and pestilential dis- 
eases; accidents and such — like wholesale de- 
struction of living creatures. For these, man 
is not responsible ; only has to cope with them 
as pertaining to earth life. 

Of the Evils Man Might Overcome. These 
originate in the human passions ; the excessive 
and perverted activity of the animality of man, 
mostly. Man's spirituality of nature is rarely 
so perfected in this life as to rule down into 
proper bounds his animality of nature. Man 
as an animal earth creature, needs all of his 
animal faculties to fulfill his animal destiny ; 
needs them in a true state of normality; his 
conscience, will and reason guiding when 
joined to his religious and esthetic faculties, all 
in harmonious co-operation, he then rarely 
brings in a state of evil, but escapes evil ; is on 
the road to overcome evil with good. 

Reason is a great safeguard; reason itself 
would hold man from sin ; reason upholds con- 
science and piety; reason serves out justice, 
and what is right is a great preventive of evil. 



UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 147 

Reason loves to overcome evil with good; 
points out how and why this tends to human 
happiness. Reason is ever devising right ways. 

Overcoming Evil With Good. The over- 
coming of evil with good is the great secret of 
life. It renders us happy. Self-knowledge is 
a first means. Not to know the mechanism of 
the steam engine means to be unable to manage 
it. Then the will to manage it is keeping fully 
alive as to what duty is. 

Heroic duty is it, to overcome evil with good. 
Really it is man's opportunity to compete with 
his Divine Father. For what were the creation 
of universe but the masterfully good effort to 
supplant black emptiness with glorious light 
and beauty. The beauty of this great universe ! 
Should not man in this life do something to 
render himself worthy of a higher life? To 
eliminate some of the roughness of this earth ; 
replacing thorns with fragrant flowers is but a 
small task. To bear with infirmities of his 
neighbor and kindly lead him into higher life 
is but man's loving, dutious task. To subdue 
evil propensity in himself and drive the evil far 
from him, is man's all-imperative self -duty. A 
coward is he not to do it ! How else is he to 
be happy? 

'Tis self animality, under pressure, that 



148 UNIVERSE AS WE SEE IT 

seems to constitute the evil that comes from 
within. To get normality of action and exemp- 
tion from excessive activity of man's animality, 
is to overcome and prevent the evil that comes 
from within. This is no small job. A fixed 
determination of the will-powers is no small 
way on towards doing it. Conscience weighs 
out to man the what to do and the what not to 
do. Faith tells man he has divine succor and 
aid at all times if sought with energy and due 
reverence, submission to the Divine Will. 

Hope grasps the anchor ; will says never give 
up. Within the mortal there is a powerful 
moral force ; an everlasting spirit influence ever 
inspiring man upwards to the Divine All God! 
Reason says 'tis true wisdom, 'tis duty to ever 
call to our aid God as the ally of the soul ! "Ask, 
and it shall be given." Power to overcome all 
evil. 'Tis this evil that comes from within that 
most besets the mortal, man. 



SEP 18 1913 



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